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High Marks

by Editorial Staff--South Jersey Magazine

Private high school report card 2012

There are several prestigious private schools across South Jersey, known not only for quality academic programs, but also for their ability to help nurture students into young adults. We gathered data from 10 area schools to compile this year’s Private School Report Card, where they are ranked in categories like SAT scores, graduation rates, tuition and many others. Read on to find out more about these institutions and catch a glimpse of what’s new and notable around campus.

Around Campus
Area private schools are finding new ways to engage students, bolster educational experience

The performing arts are getting a boost over at Paul VI, where this past summer saw the completion of the first of three phases of an auditorium renovation. The stage has been extended by 19 feet and a proscenium wall has been added. In addition, a new stage curtain, riggings and lighting are now in place.

Gloucester Catholic is well-known as a high school, but did you know that they now host seventh- and eighth-graders too? Officially known as Gloucester Catholic Junior/Senior High School, nearly 740 students now fill the halls. To accommodate the extra students, the original Saint Mary’s High School building, or the “Boy’s Building,” was renovated to create the necessary classroom and office space for the junior high students as well as freshmen.

Over in Haddon Heights, Baptist Regional School is marking its 40th anniversary. While no plans have been solidified yet, the school plans on marking the special occasion at some point during the school year.

As the only co-ed, Catholic, college preparatory school in South Jersey, Bishop Eustace further sets itself apart thanks to its college-like atmosphere, where students can roam between six buildings on 32 acres of campus. Some classes don’t meet every day, which allows students time to work in the library or receive individualized instruction from teachers. And thanks to a completely wireless campus, students are encouraged to bring laptops and iPads as teachers have implemented policies for classroom use, finding ways to incorporate the new technology into their lesson plans.

This year, St. Augustine Prep has initiated a faculty-student mentoring program for all freshmen and sophomores called the Unitas Program. Faculty members have been assigned eight to 10 freshmen or sophomores with whom they will meet regularly, both individually and as a group. The teachers will monitor the students’ academic progress, involvement in activities, and social concerns, and will serve as a liaison between the school and the students’ parents. For the past three years, the school has required all rising seniors to develop and carry out a service project consisting of approximately 100 hours.

Moorestown Friends School recently debuted a new classroom building on the Greenleaf property. Hartman Hall contains eight math classrooms, a choral music suite, lockers, technology labs, lounge space and more.

The King’s Christian School has taken a whole new direction with their basketball program this year, appointing Ron Simpson, a former high school and college standout player in New Jersey as head coach. Simpson will be expanding the number of games played by varsity teams as well as the number of schools the varsity teams will play.

There have been several improvements over at Camden Catholic, including a new iMac computer lab for digital arts, a new arts academy, a renovated library complete with a conferencing classroom, a junior internship seminar program, and a newly renovated TV studio.

Doane Academy is now a year-round campus, hosting summer day camps. For the high-schoolers, that means specialized, week-long programming such as outdoor adventure, engineering and organic farming.

By offering their students collegiate scheduling, Holy Cross further fosters an active learning environment by giving them their own tablet PC, allowing them to access learning resources “anytime, anywhere” during the school day. By keeping the students actively engaged in their education, the school feels they become better problem solvers and begin to appreciate the lifelong lessons they are learning both in and outside the classroom.

SAT Scores (average math, critical reading, essay)

Camden Catholic
Math: 644
Critical Reading: 636
Essay: 637
Total: 1917
* scores based on the top 20% of the class

Moorestown Friends
Math: 611
Critical Reading: 616
Essay: 639
Total: 1866

Gloucester Catholic
Math and Critical Reading*: 1245
Essay: 602
Total: 1847
*Average of Math and Critical Reading scores were listed together

Baptist Regional
Math: 597
Critical Reading: 595
Essay: 599
Total: 1791

Paul VI
Math: 597
Critical Reading: 587
Essay: 593
Total: 1777

The King’s Christian School*
Math: 606
Critical Reading: 561
Essay: 557
Total: 1724
*Based on students ranking in the top 50% of the class

Bishop Eustace
Math: 572
Critical Reading: 568
Essay: 573
Total: 1713

St Augustine’s
Math: 567
Critical Reading: 547
Essay: 537
Total: 1651

Doane Academy
Math: 520
Critical Reading: 555
Essay: 535
Total: 1610

Holy Cross
Math: 503
Critical Reading: 509
Essay: 513
Total: 1525

Tuition for 2012-2013

Moorestown Friends: $24,600
Doane Academy: $16,600
Bishop Eustace: $15,400
St. Augustine’s: $15,300
Holy Cross: $9,250
King’s Christian: $8,115
Baptist Regional : $8,000
Camden Catholic: $7,800
Gloucester Catholic: $7,775
Paul VI: $7,765

Total College Scholarships Awarded to Class of 2011

Bishop Eustace: $25.1 million
Paul VI: $20 million
Holy Cross: $11.6 million
Camden Catholic: $11 million
Gloucester Catholic: $7 million
King’s Christian School: $683,000
Baptist Regional: N/A
Doane Academy: N/A
Moorestown: N/A
St. Augustine’s: N/A

Percentage of Graduates Attending Four-year Colleges

Moorestown Friends: 100%
Doane Academy: 100%
Bishop Eustace: 99%
St. Augustine’s: 95%
King’s Christian School: 86%
Holy Cross: 83%
Baptist Regional: 78%
Paul VI: 71%
Camden Catholic: 70%
Gloucester Catholic: 65%

Percentage of Students taking the SAT

Moorestown Friends: 100%
King’s Christian School: 100%
Bishop Eustace: 100%
Doane Academy: 100%
Paul VI: 100%
St. Augustine’s: 99%
Holy Cross: 97%
Baptist Regional: 90%
Gloucester Catholic: 85%
Camden Catholic: N/A

Percentage of Students Receiving Financial Aid

Bishop Eustace: 35%
Moorestown Friends: 34%
Camden Catholic: 33%
Gloucester Catholic: 33%
St. Augustine’s: 32%
Doane Academy: 30%
Holy Cross: 29%
King’s Christian School: 25%
Paul VI: 25%
Baptist Regional: 20%

Number of AP Classes Offered

Bishop Eustace: 16
King’s Christian School: 16*
Paul VI: 16
Moorestown Friends: 16
St. Augustine’s : 15
Camden Catholic: 14
Doane Academy: 12
Holy Cross: 9
Gloucester Catholic: 8
Baptist Regional: 5
*Based on classes online and at the school

Number of Honors Classes Offered

Holy Cross: 33
Moorestown Friends: 32
St. Augustine’s: 28
Camden Catholic: 25
Doane Academy: 22
Bishop Eustace: 17
Gloucester Catholic: 17
Baptist Regional: 15
Paul VI: 15
King’s Christian School: 12

Average Teacher Length of Service

Holy Cross: 22 years
Camden Catholic: 18 years
Gloucester Catholic: 17 years
Bishop Eustace: 15 years
Paul VI: 14 years
Baptist Regional: 12 years
Doane Academy: 10 years
King’s Christian School: 8 years
Moorestown Friends: 7 years
St Augustine’s: N/A

Student to Teacher Ratio

Doane Academy: 8:1
King’s Christian School : 8:1
Baptist Regional: 9:1
Moorestown Friends: 9:1
St. Augustine’s: 12:1
Bishop Eustace: 13:1
Camden Catholic: 13:1
Paul VI: 15:1
Holy Cross: 16:1
Gloucester Catholic: 21:1

Published (and copyrighted) in South Jersey Magazine, Volume 9, Issue 7 (October, 2012).
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