In the wake of declining enrollment, the school announced that it would close at the end of the 2019–20 school year. Compared to an enrollment in 2014-15 of 174 students, the school estimated that 2020-21 enrollment would be 115.[6]
As of the 2019–20 school year, the school had an enrollment of 127 students and 15.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 8.1:1. The school's student body was 42.5% (54) White, 26.8% (34) Black, 28.3% (36) Hispanic, 1.6% (2) two or more races and 0.8% (1) Asian.[4] Benedictine Academy welcomed students of any race, color, national and ethnic origins. The school faculty comprised Benedictine Sisters, members of other religious communities and lay teachers, 70% of whom had advanced degrees.
History
The school opened in 1915. In the 2014–15 school year its student body was 174. It had 122 students, 35 in the 12th grade, in spring 2020, and it was projected for 2020–21 that its student body would be 155, including 20 in the 9th grade. The school closed in spring 2020.[7]
In June 2011, Benedictine Academy was recognized as the Jefferson Awards for Public Service "Best New School" in recognition of programs developed at the school to combat bullying and human trafficking.[9]
Athletics
The Benedictine Academy Green Bees[3] compete in the Union County Interscholastic Athletic Conference, which comprises public and private high schools in Union County and established following a 2010 reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.[10] With 200 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Non-Public B for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 37 to 366 students in that grade range (equivalent to Group I for public schools).[11]
The girls spring track team was the Non-Public B state champion in 2010.[12]
Graduation requirements
Graduation requirements included: 4 years of English, Math, Religious Studies, and Physical Education/Health & Safety; 3 years of Science, Social Studies, and World Language; 2 years of American History, 1 year of World Culture, and 1 year of Art. Advanced Placement and Honors Courses are offered in Biology, Pre-Calculus, English Literature, U.S. History, French and Spanish. Elective courses are offered in Economics, Computer Technology, Psychology, Law, Media, and the Arts.
Technology
The school has a computer lab, SMART boards in every classroom, a new interactive science lab, high-speed wireless Internet access for students, and an integrated laptop program.
In September 1864, three Benedictine sisters arrived from Newark, New Jersey, at the request of Peter Henry Lemke, pastor of St. Michael's, who was in need of German-speaking sisters to teach at the parish school.[16] In 1868, they became an independent congregation and moved to the newly built St. Walburga's Convent. The sisters taught at St. Henry's parish school, and also at an academy for girls established at St. Walburga's.
In 1903, they opened Our Lady of Victory sanitarium with a training school for nurses at Kingston, New York.[17] The following year, services expanded to Benedictine Hospital on Mary's Avenue. The hospital was later taken over by HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley.
In 1906, a convent and private school were established at Brooklands, DC. In 1923, the St. Walburga's Monastery re-located to North Broad Street.[18] The sisters taught at elementary schools in the dioceses of Newark, Cleveland and Manchester.[17] Benedictine Preschool opened in the fall of 1996. Due to declining enrollment with the availability of tuition-free programs in public schools, the preschool closed in 2019.
References
^Tuition, Benedictine Academy. Accessed August 17, 2017.
^Jackman, EmilyAnn. "Benedictine Academy closing in June", Union News Daily, March 6, 2020. Accessed July 15, 2020. "Benedictine Academy is permanently closing its doors. The academy, an all-girl’s Catholic high school founded in 1915, made the announcement on Feb. 24 in a letter posted to its website.... The letter cited declining enrollment as the primary reason for shutting down the school.... While the academy had enrolled 174 students for the 2014–2015 academic school year, projections indicated that the student population might drop to only 115 for the 2020–2021 academic school year."
^Roman, Jackie. "Growing N.J. district buys shuttered Catholic school building for $5.5M", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, September 9, 2021. Accessed May 2, 2023. "The Board of Education for the Elizabeth public school system unanimously approved a resolution to purchase the Benedictine Academy property, a Catholic school that closed last year, for a total of $5.5 million, during a special meeting held Wednesday afternoon."
^Fitzgerald's Legislative Manual, State of New Jersey, p. 269. E.J. Mullin, 2003, Accessed September 17, 2019. "Arlene M. Friscia, Dem., Woodbridge - Ms. Friscia was born in Newark and attended public schools there and the Benedictine Academy in Elizabeth."
