In 2013, celebrating its 75th year, school leadership noted that throughout its history, Fontbonne had educated nearly 10,000 women who “have become noted doctors, lawyers, engineers, leaders in business and the arts, educators, mothers, and even, like Sister Ita Ford, class of 1957, martyrs for their cause.”[3]
Making reference to the boroughs of New York City, Fontbonne's students predominantly come from southwest Brooklyn, southern Queens, and Staten Island.[4]
Students may earn a Fontbonne Hall Regents Diploma or Fontbonne Hall Advanced Regents Diploma, which requires eight NYS Regents Exams in English, history, mathematics, science and language.[5]
In recent years, the curriculum was expanded to include courses, such as Forensic Science, Child Development, American Sign Language, and Accounting and Law.[6]
The school offers various Advanced Placement courses, including English Language, English Literature, U.S. History, Calculus, Statistics, Biology, Italian and Spanish.[5] Eligible students can also participate in the St. John’s University College Advantage Program (CAP) to earn college credits.[7] CAP courses include English 12, Religious Studies 12, Italian 4, Spanish 4, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, and Anatomy and Physiology.[8]
Fontbonne students participate in the ACE mentor and Manhattan College engineering programs.[6]
Fontbonne students also recently started participating in a STEM Workshop at CUNY Graduate Center and Techweek NYC.[11][12]
The school is collaborating with St. Francis College and NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering to provide more learning opportunities for students interested in the STEM fields.[13]
Fontbonne’s culture is tied to the Catholic tradition. At school Masses, students and faculty sing the hymn, “The Servant Song,” to express a spirit of service to other members of the Fontbonne family and to the larger community.
Four years of Religious Studies are required, beginning with the Sacred Scriptures in freshman year and ending with a course in Loving Relationships in senior year.[14] Fontbonne students have a day retreat for three years and an overnight retreat in their last year.[15]
School Masses are held for major holidays, including Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well as to celebrate Catholic feast days, such as the Feast of St. Joseph.[15]
Fontbonne maintains the small school environment through competitive enrollment and small class size. Maximum enrollment for each of the four years is about 120 young women. Students are assigned to a faculty advisor or FA and the homeroom led by the FA for four years. The faculty advisor develops a relationship with each student and works to actively discuss the student’s problems, achievements, interests and goals.[5]
Fontbonne welcomes prospective students to an annual fall Open House and to visit the school during visit days in the 7th and 8th grade”[4]
Fontbonne offers a wide variety of sports. The school is known for its outstanding basketball, softball, volleyball, and soccer teams who have been champions in their divisions for the last four years. Fontbonne also has a competitive cheerleading team. Four out of 10 students are on athletic teams that compete on the local and state levels.[6] In addition, Fontbonne has tennis, swim, golf, lacrosse, and track teams.
The first Fontbonne student was named to the All-New York City girls' volleyball team selection by MSG Varsity in 2013.[16]
