The following is a list of schools of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. As of the Fall of 1987, there were 40 high schools and 187 elementary schools in the four counties of the archdiocese.[1] At the start of the school year in 2023, there were 22 high schools[2] and 49 elementary schools.[3]
St. Benedict's Preparatory School (Newark) Co-ed Elementary Division (K-6) and Middle School Division (7-8) added in 2017 with takeover of St. Mary School. Girls prep division (9-12) added in 2020 with closure of Benedictine Academy, Elizabeth.
Academy of St Paul (Ramsey) Formerly known as St. Paul School and St. Paul Interparochial School[8]
Christ the Teacher Academy (Interparochial) (Fort Lee)
The churches sponsoring the school are: Holy Trinity and Madonna in Fort Lee, Epiphany in Cliffside Park, and Holy Rosary in Edgewater.[9] It occupies the former facility of the Madonna Catholic School.[9] Epiphany joined after Epiphany School merged into Christ the Teacher in 2005.[10]
Our Lady of Czestochowa School, also known as the OLC School, had about 480 students in 2017. It opened a second campus for grades 3–8 in the Boys & Girls Club of Hudson County building in 2018 to accommodate additional students, as its enrollment was 540 in August 2018. The Great Futures Charter High School, which previously operated out of the Boys & Girls Club building, dissolved earlier that year, allowing OLC to take space in the building.[11]
Academy of St. Joseph of the Palisades (West New York)
All Saints Catholic Academy (Bayonne) - It was a merger of four Catholic schools and was established on July 1, 2008 in the ex-Saint Mary, Star of the Sea site.[12] The building was repurposed to house a consolidated student body, with a preschool room designated from the former kindergarten facility. It was to house students associated with the eight Catholic churches in the municipality, and the archdiocese classified it as a "Deanery school".[13] The school opened on September 3, 2008.[14] At the time of opening over 500 students attended,[15] with about 450 in grades Kindergarten through 8 and the remainder in preschool. At the time it had 22 teachers, five teaching aides, and three other employees.[13] The predecessor schools in early 2008 had a combined total of 750-800 students.[16]
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark announced in September 2007 that it would combine Bayonne's four remaining Catholic elementary schools — Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (Bayonne, New Jersey), Saint Andrew, Saint Vincent and Saint Mary, Star of the Sea — into a single school in response to 10 years of declining enrollments in the schools. Sister Eileen Jude Wust was selected to serve as the school's principal.[17] In 2017 ASCA was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School.[18]
Its students are in Hoboken and Weehawken. A consolidation of existing Catholic schools, it was formerly co-sponsored by four Hoboken churches, Our Lady of Grace, St. Ann, St. Francis, and Sts. Peter and Paul, along with St. Lawrence Church in Hoboken, before the archdiocese's Lighting the Way program changed the allocation of money for schools in the archdiocese.[19]
The Academy of Our Lady of Peace (New Providence) - The school was once a winner of the National Blue Ribbon Award. The archdiocese spent, each year, $277,000 to fund the school. In 2020 the archdiocese announced it would close in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response members of the school community started a fundraising drive to try to get it to reopen, and the archdiocese announced it would reopen, with the congregation taking financial control.[20]
Assumption Early Childhood Center (Emerson) - Formerly Assumption Academy,[21] it was a full PK-8 school. In 2008 it had 171 students in its K-8 program. This decreased to 157 in 2011 and 137 in 2012. The 1-8 grades closed in 2012 and it became only a preschool and kindergarten.[22]
The archdiocese closed nine schools in the period from 1989 to 1995.[23] From 1999 to 2014 the student body decreased to only 60% of the initial total.[24] In 2005 seven schools consolidated and/or closed.[10]
From 1998 to 2008 the archdiocese closed about 25% of its schools.[25] Three more schools were shuttered and an additional seven merged in 2009. In 2010 and 2012 it closed six elementary schools each.[26] In addition, in the latter year, one high school was closed and one PK-8 school became preschool/kindergarten only.[22] The 2012 closures were influenced by the schools taking funds from their congregations while their enrollment numbers declined.[27] In 2014 the archdiocese four elementary schools, with one in each of its counties; after those closures it had 70 elementary schools remaining.[26] In 2020 it closed one high school and nine K-8 schools due to a decrease in enrollments.[28]
Circa 2008 the archdiocese considered 225 to be the minimal optimal enrollment for a K-8 school.[25]
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus School (Wallington) - It closed in 2014.[26] Circa 2004-2014 the archdiocese spent more than $3 million to keep the school in operation.[24]
Academy of St. Benedict - It had 250 students in 2004.[37] Merged into Ironbound Catholic Academy in 2005.[10]
Blessed Sacrament School - It was located in the South Ward. It opened circa 1916, and historically each class had around 40 students. Mary Jo Patterson of The New York Times described it as one of two schools with "proud histories and fiercely loyal adherents."[25] Paterson stated its building was "hopelessly obsolete, with a history of few renovations."[25] In 2005 it had 159 students. Enrollment declined after, the following year, the church made the tuition $2,900 per year and also required each parent to raise $400. Enrollment declined even more when, in 2008, parents were now obligated to raise $900 each and tuition was raised higher, to over $3,000. In December 2007 enrollment was down to 97, and this went down further to 95 by April 2008, with fewer than 10 were Catholic; the number of students who also attend the school's parish was below 10. In December 2017 Rev. Anselm I. Nwaorgu, the pastor of Blessed Sacrament, cited the low enrollment and asked the Newark Archdiocese to allow him to close Blessed Sacrament School. The school was to close in June of that year. A charter school was scheduled to occupy its space; charter schools had been asking the church for information on its school space prior to the closure. Former Academic director Alice Terrell stated that the drop in enrollment and closure resulted from an increase in charter schools.[25]
On the site of the former St. Casimir Catholic School, it was formed by the merger of St. Casimir, Academy of St. Benedict, and St. Lucy Filippini Academy.[10]
Our Lady of Good Counsel School - Closed in 2005.[10]
Queen of Angels School - It was in the Central Ward and belonged to a church, established in 1930, that was the city's first church catering to African-Americans. Its building dated from 1887, and Patterson described its school building, connected to the worship building, as "a confusing warren of rooms" and "hopelessly obsolete, with a history of few renovations."[25] Patterson described the institution as one of two schools with "proud histories and fiercely loyal adherents."[25] In 2008 it had about 200 students, with fewer than 20 were Catholic, and the number of students who also attend the school's parish was below 20. Due to the number of students enrolled, Patterson stated at the time it was "not in danger" of closing.[25] In 2008 each parent was asked to raise $300 at fundraisers and the annual tuition was $2,900.[25] It closed in 2012.[22]
Sacred Heart School
St. Antoninus School
St. Casimir Academy - It had 220 students in 2004.[37] It merged into Ironbound Catholic Academy in 2005, with the new school occupying the former St. Casimir.[10]
St. Columba School
St. Francis Xavier School - closed 2020
St. John the Baptist School
St. Lucy School
St. Lucy Filippini Academy - Merged into Ironbound Catholic Academy in 2005.[10]
St. Mary School - Merged into St. Benedict's Prep School Elementary Division in 2017
St. Joseph School - It opened circa 1930. Circa 2003 it had 310 students; by 2010 the enrollment was down to 165. The archdiocese initially announced it proposed closing the school that year, parents started a campaign to keep the school open; the archdiocese replied by stating that as long as prospective enrollment went up to 210, the school could continue, but by June 2010 the projected enrollment was only 140, with the number having formally registered and whose parents/guardians had paid tuition expenses being 102. It closed in 2010.[34]
Assumption/All Saints School - Merged into St. Patrick's School in 2005.[10]
Holy Rosary School
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School
Our Lady of Mercy School
Our Lady of Victories School
Resurrection School - the result of the creation of the Parish of the Resurrection, which was formed in 1997 and merged St. Boniface church and the schools of St. Bridget, St. Mary, St. Peter and Holy Rosary. St. Bridget's School building was used for the lower school and Holy Rosary School building was used for the upper school. - closed 2013
St. Aedan School
St. Anne School - It was located in Jersey City Heights, and opened in 1904.[38] Its enrollment declined by 33 in 2011 and increased by 22 in 2012. James Carroll, a member of the Jersey City Police Department and a member of the school board, Carroll stated that the 2011 decline was due to parents being afraid that the school would close.[39] In 2011 the archdiocese considered closing the school, but a fundraising generated sufficient money to keep it open.[38] It closed in 2012.[39] That year the building housed the K-8 grades of the Hoboken Charter School on a temporary basis as the regular K-8 building of the charter school had a fire.[40]
Mater Dei Academy - It opened in 2009 as a merger of St. Stephen School, Kearney, and Holy Cross School, Harrison.[22] Its initial enrollment was 250, but this declined to 170 for the 2011–2012 school year;[39] the school closed in 2012.[22]
Sacred Heart School
St. Cecilia School - closed in 2002
St. Stephen School - Merged into Mater Dei Academy in 2009[22]
Bender Memorial Academy - It was a private school not directly operated by the archdiocese.[41] It closed in 2005.[10]
Blessed Sacrament School - Its neighborhood was historically Irish American.[41] (closed in 2008, merged into Our Lady of Guadalupe School)
Elizabethport Catholic School - It formed in 1996,[23] from a merger St. Adalbert's, SS. Peter and Paul, and St. Patrick's.[41] The school was to use all three buildings, with Peter and Paul having preschool, St. Adalbert housing grades 1–4, and St. Patrick for grades 5–8.[23] By 1998 the St. Patrick building served as the upper school,[32][41] another building was used as a lower school, and a separate building was used for the office of its director.[32] Elizabethport Catholic's initial projected enrollment was 500; the combined enrollment meant that the school could have classes for high-level students, athletic programs, and after school programs, things lacking in the predecessor schools. Its proposed initial annual tuition was $1,500, which some parents believed would be too expensive. Its prospective students, as of the 1990s, were African-American, Hispanic American, and Portuguese American, with less than half being Catholic.[23]
Holy Rosary School
Immaculate Conception School
Our Lady of Guadelupe School (Interparochial) - Merged into St. Joseph's School in Roselle in 2020
Sacred Heart School
St. Adalbert Parochial School - The land for the school and church building was dedicated on November 6, 1906.[42] Historically many of the students were Polish American.[41] Circa the 1980s there were what the church's website called "improvements".[42] By the 1990s its students came from other ethnic backgrounds.[23] Enrollment declined after the 1980s.[42] It merged into Elizabethport Catholic,[41] with the merger scheduled for 1996.[23]
St. Anthony of Padua School - Its neighborhood historically was Italian American.[41] (closed in 2008, merged into Our Lady of Guadalupe School)
St. Catherine School - Its neighborhood was historically Irish American.[41]
St. Genevieve School - It was in the Elmora neighborhood.[41] It closed in 2020.[33]
St. Hedwig School- Historically Polish school (closed 2002)
St. Mary of the Assumption School (closed 2008, merged into Our Lady of Guadalupe School)
St. Michael's School - Historically German school
St. Patrick's Grammar School - It was located in the Elizabethport neighborhood. Historically its students were Irish American. By the 1990s its students came from other ethnic backgrounds. It merged into Elizabethport Catholic, with the merger scheduled for 1996.[23]
Sts. Peter and Paul School - Historically many of the students were Lithuanian American.[41] By the 1990s its students came from other ethnic backgrounds.[23] It merged into Elizabethport Catholic,[41] with the merger scheduled for 1996.[23]
St. Vladimir School - Historically Ukrainian school (closed by the parish in 1990)
Hillside Catholic Academy - A merger of Catholic schools, it opened in 2006 with 256 students. In 2011 it had 165 students, and this went down to 156 in 2012. Closed in 2012.[22]
^"History". Academy of St. Paul. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
^ ab"Home". Christ the Teacher School. 2006-01-03. Archived from the original on 2005-03-07. Retrieved 2020-06-22. Christ the Teacher Interparochial School is a co-sponsored school[...]Madonna School building. does not list Epiphany Church as it had not yet merged. Also see: "CHRIST THE TEACHER SCHOOL Registration Form Grades K-8". Christ the Teacher School. Retrieved 2020-06-22. which lists the associated parishes.
