South Jersey magazine Fall 2010 Report Card on Private Schools

education

getting prepped South Jersey’s 2010 private school report card helps you make sense of the statistics.

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tudents and their parents have a vast array of reasons for selecting private schools: commitment to academics, a specific set of shared values and beliefs, a standout sports program, small class sizes where a given child can get personal attention, and many more unique and personal motivations. If you’re considering such an option, this year’s annual survey of area private schools is a must-read. We compare elite local and regional prep and parochial schools by key statistics, like student-to-teacher ratio and SAT score, to help you make your selection. And, we examine whether recent cuts to public education are driving more students to tuition-based schools.

PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOL DATA SAT scores (average math, critical reading, essay)

p Percentage of Students Taking the SAT

Moorestown Friends Math: 627 Critical reading: 616 Essay: 631 Total: 1874

Doane Academy Math: 535 Critical reading: 568 Essay: 543 Total: 1646

Baptist Regional Math: 604 Critical reading: 618 Essay: 603 Total: 1825

The King’s Christian School Math: 515 Critical reading: 540 Essay: 522 Total: 1577

Bishop Eustace Math: 572 Critical reading: 576 Essay: 573 Total: 1721

Gloucester Catholic Math: 501 Critical reading: 501 Essay: 506 Total: 1508

St. Augustine’s Math: 581 Critical reading: 545 Essay: 552 Total: 1678

Holy Cross Math: 496 Critical reading: 505 Essay: 503 Total: 1504

Paul VI Math: 544 Critical reading: 561 Essay: 558 Total: 1663

Camden Catholic Math: not reported Critical reading: not reported Essay: not reported Total: not reported

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Moorestown Friends Bishop Eustace St. Augustine’s Paul VI Doane Academy Camden Catholic Holy Cross The King’s Christian School Baptist Regional Gloucester Catholic

p Student-to-Teacher Ratio Baptist Regional Moorestown Friends Doane Academy The King’s Christian School St. Augustine’s Bishop Eustace Camden Catholic Holy Cross Gloucester Catholic Paul VI

p Average Teacher Length of Service

SouthJersey.com

100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 98% 98% 98% 90% 83%

Camden Catholic Holy Cross Gloucester Catholic Paul VI Baptist Regional Bishop Eustace Doane Academy Moorestown Friends St. Augustine’s The King’s Christian School

8:1 9:1 10:1 10:1 12:1 13:1 16:1 17:1 19:1 20:1 20 years 20 years 18 years 14 years 11 years 11 years 10 years 9 years 7 years 6 years

reprinted with permission of South Jersey magazine

p Percentage of Graduates That of Graduates ThatColleges p Percentage Attend Four-Year Attend Four-Year Doane Colleges Academy

p Dual-Credit Class Partnerships

100% 100% 100% 100% 86% 78% 74% 72% 67% 64%

Doane Academy Moorestown Friends 100% Moorestown Friends 100% St. Augustine’s St. Augustine’sBishop Eustace 100% Bishop EustaceThe King’s Christian School 100% The King’s Christian School 86% Holy Cross Holy Cross Camden Catholic 78% Camden Catholic 74% Paul VI Paul VI 72% Baptist Regional Baptist Regional 67% Gloucester Catholic Gloucester Catholic 64%

p Percentage of Graduates That p Percentage Attend of Graduates That Two-Year Colleges Attend Two-Year BaptistColleges Regional

Baptist Regional 33% Gloucester Catholic Gloucester Catholic 31% Paul VI Paul VI 25% Camden Catholic Camden Catholic 23% Holy Cross Holy Cross The King’s Christian School 21% The King’s Christian School 14% Bishop Eustace Bishop EustaceSt. Augustine’s 2% St. Augustine’sDoane Academy 2% Doane Academy n/a Moorestown Friends Moorestown Friends n/a

33% 31% 25% 23% 21% 14% 2% 2% n/a n/a

p Total College Scholarships p Total CollegeAwarded Scholarships to Class of 2010 Awarded to Bishop Class Eustace of 2010

Bishop EustaceSt. Augustine’s $31 million St. Augustine’sPaul VI $22 million Paul VI Camden Catholic$21 million Camden Catholic $15 million Holy Cross Holy Cross Gloucester Catholic $13 million Gloucester Catholic Doane Academy $10 million Doane Academy Baptist Regional $3 million Baptist Regional n/a The King’s Christian The King’s Christian n/a Moorestown Friends Moorestown Friends n/a

Moorestown Friends 16 Baptist Regional Baptist Regional 15 Bishop Eustace Bishop EustacePaul VI 15 Paul VI The King’s Christian School15 The King’s Christian School 15 Camden Catholic Camden Catholic 14 St. Augustine’s St. Augustine’sDoane Academy 14 Doane Academy 11 Gloucester Catholic Gloucester Catholic 8 Holy Cross Holy Cross 8

16 15 15 15 15 14 14 11 8 8

p Number of Honors Classes Offered p Number of Honors Camden Classes Catholic Offered 25 Camden Catholic 25 Holy Cross Holy Cross St. Augustine’s 25 St. Augustine’sMoorestown Friends 24 Moorestown Friends 23 Doane Academy Doane Academy 20 Paul VI Paul VI 18 Bishop Eustace Bishop EustaceThe King’s Christian School17 The King’s Christian School 17 Baptist Regional Baptist Regional 15 Gloucester Catholic Gloucester Catholic 12

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SouthJersey.com

reprinted with permission of South Jersey magazine

Baptist Regional Burlington County College Bishop Eustace Camden County College Camden Catholic Camden County College Doane Academy Burlington County College Gloucester Catholic n/a Holy Cross Burlington County College, Seton Hall University The King’s Christian School Camden County College, Davis College, Indiana Wesleyan University, Taylor University Moorestown Friends n/a Paul VI Camden County College St. Augustine’s Camden County College, Cumberland County College, Seton Hall University

p Tuition for 2010-2011

$31 million $22 million $21 million $15 million $13 million $10 million $3 million n/a n/a n/a

p Number of AP Classes Offered Classes Friends Offered p Number of AP Moorestown

with Colleges

25 24 23 20 18 17 17 15 12

Moorestown Friends Doane Academy Bishop Eustace St. Augustine’s Holy Cross Baptist Regional The King’s Christian School Camden Catholic Paul VI Gloucester Catholic

$23,500 $15,900 $14,500 $12,950 $8,550 $8,000 $7,650 $7,175 $6,994 $6,875

p Percentage of Students Receiving Financial Aid

Camden Catholic Gloucester Catholic Bishop Eustace The King’s Christian School St. Augustine’s Moorestown Friends Doane Academy Baptist Regional Holy Cross Paul VI

p Graduation Rate

Baptist Regional Bishop Eustace Camden Catholic Doane Academy Holy Cross The King’s Christian School Moorestown Friends Paul VI St. Augustine’s Gloucester Catholic

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33% 33% 31% 31% 30% 29% 27% 25% 24% 20%

100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 99%

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Trenton began. “We’ve had our fair share of questions from parents who are concerned about prospective cuts in [their local school] programming,” he says. Foreign language p Percentage of Graduates That learning is one area of particular concern to Attend Four-Year Colleges many parents, he says, noting that over the Doane Academy 100% summer, MFS had an unusual number of Moorestown Friends 100% inquiries. “Summers are usually very quiet St. Augustine’s 100% for us.” Currently, MFS graduating class sizes Bishop Eustace 100% are 72; despite changes elsewhere, that has The King’s Christian School 86% stayed constant. “Our classes are the same.

Holy Cross 78% We’re happy to offer what we’ve always had,” Camden Catholic 74% he says.

Paul VI 72% Baptist Regional 67% At Holy Cross High School in Delran, Gloucester Catholic 64% enrollment was up this year. While it’s only “anecdotal,” seems to be ahasn’t connection what will there happen yet. There been any immediate impact felt s New Jersey public school budgets are starved by not sure between that boost and parents worried There’s still a lot of unceradministrators desperate to balance the state ledgers, it [from public school cuts], but things could change. p Percentage themunicipalities availability ofabout certain programs in in the future.” Italiano of be Graduates in area what will happen may not long beforeThat parents begin looking to private taintyabout the public schools, principal Dennis Guida Attend Two-Year Colleges school as an increasingly viable alternative. In fact, notes that for schools like his—a parochial college prep school—the demoBaptist Regional 33% says.

“Wereally haven’t had“We’ve any cutbacks at all never varies. always had theinsame two populations: parsome local parents are there already. “We moved graphic Gloucester Catholic 31% our athletics and co-curricular activities. here for the education system,” says Haddon ents who weren’t planning on using the public schools anyway, opting for the Paul VI 25% We’ve seen anroute; increase inquiries fromparents par- who might want to send education andinpublic school Township mother-of-two23% Alicia Lomba. But now, Catholic Camden Catholic ents who are interested in a ‘total education’ she says she and her 21% husband are concerned their kids to a more college-focused prep school.”

Holy Cross thatifincludes extra activities.

There’s a lot for of the finite number of spots Even public cuts were to increase demand enough about cuts thatChristian “we would consider a private school down the line if The King’s School 14% concern with that in Burlington County,” he that make up the 13-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio at Bishop Eustace, Italiano need be.” Bishop Eustace 2% says.

In particular, Guida notes Augustine’s 2% parents, teachers’ says his school wouldn’t expand.

“Our that goal parents at the school is to be in the 750 to With theSt. continued tensions between school boards, are focused on freshman athletic programs, Doane Academy the capacity to go higher, but it unions, and state leaders, the question of how we as n/a a community value edu- 800 [student population] range. We have are endangered at public schools and, which includes a smaller 9/27/10 6:04 PM Pagewould 6 which Moorestown n/ato increased take away from what we’re trying to provide, cation, and thus paySchools_10_10.qxd for it,Friends is still in play. That could lead demand in some cases, have already been eliminated. for private schools that have, among their selling points, small teacher-stu- school environment.”

Guida says Friends that Holyspokeman Cross is only threeMoorestown Mike atSchlotterbeck says his school has dent ratios, leading to an uptick in their exclusivity. quarters capacity, averaging about 17 pEustace Total College Scholarships parents since the turmoil in Bishop Preparatory School spokesman Nick Italiano says, “We’re been fielding more calls from public school students to every teacher. He says that if the Awarded to Class of 2010 student population were to grow beyond Bishop Eustace $31 million that, he’d hire more teachers.

St. Augustine’s $22 million Paul VI $21 million Of course, the same economic realities Trenton began.

“We’ve had our fair share of Camden Catholic questions from $15parents millionwho are concerned bedeviling the state budget might also preHoly Cross $13 million vent some parents from moving their chilabout prospective cuts in [their local school] Gloucester Catholic $10 million dren to private schools. programming,” he says. Foreign language Doane Academy $3 million Some will make the commitment. learning is one area of particular concern to Baptist Regional n/a According to Schlotterbeck, they do so many parents, he says, noting that over the The King’s Christian n/a despite the $22,350 annual price tag for MFS’ summer, MFS had an Moorestown Friends n/aunusual number of high school, because, “a Friends education inquiries. “Summers are usually very quiet has a strong academic reputation nationfor us.” Currently, MFS graduating class sizes wide.” Many parents are willing to do what’s Offered p Number of AP Classes are 72; despite changes elsewhere, that has Moorestown Friends 16 necessary to give their children an education stayed constant. “Our classes are the same.

Baptist Regional We’re happy to offer what 15 we’ve always had,” that “combines ethics and academic rigor.” In Bishop Eustace he says.

15 fact, Schlotterbeck says that this past spring Paul VI 15 there was a waiting list for seven of MFS’ At Holy Cross High School in Delran, The King’s Christian School 15 classes. “We also have an acceptance rate of enrollment was up this year.

While it’s only Camden Catholic 14 just over 50 percent,” he says. Of those that “anecdotal,” there seems to be a connection St. Augustine’s 14 do attend MFS, roughly a third receive finanbetween that boost and parents worried Doane Academy 11 cial aid, which Schlotterbeck says helps the about the availability of certain programs in Gloucester Catholic 8 school maintain a student body that is sociothe public schools, principal Dennis Guida Holy Cross 8 economically diverse. “That is something the says. “We haven’t had any cutbacks at all in school is highly committed to doing,” he our athletics and co-curricular activities. says.

We’ve seen an increase in inquiries from parp Number of Honors Classes Offered Italiano agrees that the fees at Bishop Camden Catholic ents who are interested25in a ‘total education’ Eustace, where high school tuition is $14,500, Holy Cross 25 that includes extra activities.

There’s a lot of St. Augustine’s concern with that in Burlington 24 are what purchases what purchases a quality County,” he Moorestown Friends 23 notes that parents education. But he’s realistic enough to know says. In particular, Guida Doane Academy are focused on freshman 20 athletic programs, that this price is also the reason it’s not Paul VI 18 already at capacity. “There are a lot of factors which are endangered at public schools and, Bishop Eustace 17 that go into choosing to pay private school in some cases, have already been eliminated.

The King’s Christian School 17 tuition,” he says, “and the economy is cerGuida says that Holy Cross is only at threeBaptist Regional 15 tainly one of them.” —Whitney McKnight quarters capacity, averaging about 17 stuGloucester Catholic 12 dents to every teacher. He says that if the SouthJersey.com student population were to grow beyond 50 SOUTH JERSEY MAGAZINE VOLUME 7 ISSUE 7 SouthJersey.com that, he’d hire more teachers.

Of course, the same economic realities reprinted with permission of South Jersey magazine SouthJersey.com VOLUME 7 ISSUE 7 SOUTH JERSEY MAGAZINE 47 bedeviling the state budget might also prevent some parents from moving their chil-

Private Affairs Will budget cuts at New Jersey public schools spark a run on private education?

A