St. Augustine Preparatory School

Private high school in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States
the school in Richland, New Jersey

The school added an eighth grade in the 2021 22 school year. As of the 2021–22 school year, the school had an enrollment of 669 students and 61.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.8:1. The school's student body was 84.6% (566) White, 7.6% (51) Black, 4.9% (33) Hispanic, 1.9% (13) Asian, 0.6% (4) American Indian / Alaska Native and 0.3% (2) Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander. The school's graduating Class of 2014 was offered over $42 million in scholarships.

Established in September 1959, the school's first senior class of 12 students graduated in 1963. The school's first Headmaster was Fr. Peter Toscani, OSA. Classes were first held in the Monastery, which was previously an estate named "Red Oaks". The first school building, Augustinian Hall, consisted of four classrooms and a gymnasium, which opened in 1960. The first expansion included the western wing of Augustinian Hall in 1967–68. The Spina Gymnasium was constructed in 1979 80 and the former gym was converted into classrooms and a chapel. The enrollment ranged between 150 and 210 students for many years. The third expansion of facilities was the construction of the Edith Favretto Scarpa Arts and Sciences Building in 1998. The building houses most of the campus' computer labs, the media center, the library, and additional classrooms. Following that expansion, enrollment grew from 235 to 550. A minor renovation replaced the chapel with additional classrooms in 2000. The most recent addition to the school is The Louis and Josephine Buondonno Forum, or simply, "The Forum". Following the construction of the new building, enrollment increased to 650 students. In the Forum are the Rodio Gymnasium, the Consalo Dining hall, The Navone Swimming Pool, weight room, wrestling room, and additional classrooms. In June 2011, longtime school President Fr. Paul Galetto was replaced by Donald F. Reilly, previously Prior Provincial of the Villanova province of the Augustinian Order, and previous chairman of the school's board of directors. The school announced in November 2016 that Robert J. Murray was designated to become the school's new president at the end of the 2016–2017 school year.

The Saint Augustine Prep Hermits compete in the National Division of the Cape Atlantic League, an athletic conference comprised of public and private high schools in Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, and Gloucester counties that operates under the aegis of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). With 976 students in grades 10 12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Non Public, Group A for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 381 to 1,454 students in that grade range (equivalent to South, Group 3 for public schools). The football team competes in the American Division of the 94 team West Jersey Football League superconference and was classified by the NJSIAA as Non Public Group A (equivalent to Group III for public schools) for football for 2022–2024, which included schools with 225 to 723 students. School colors are navy blue and white. The school offers 22 inter scholastic sports programs, including: football, soccer, cross country, basketball, swimming, ice hockey, wrestling, winter/spring track and field, chess, baseball, golf, tennis, crew, lacrosse, volleyball, fencing, bowling, sailing, squash, surfing, and rugby. The basketball team has won five state titles in school history: Non Public B in 1982 (vs. Bayley Ellard High School) and 1999 (St. Patrick High School), and Non Public A in 2004 (vs. Seton Hall Preparatory School), 2011 (vs. Seton Hall) and 2016 (vs. Don Bosco Preparatory High School). The team won the 2001 Parochial South B sectional championship defeating McCorristin Catholic High School by 65–49 in the tournament final. The basketball team won the 2002 Parochial South A, defeating Camden Catholic High School 50–45. The team won again in 2004 with a 56–48 win over Camden Catholic High School. In 2010–11, the basketball team won their fourth Non Public A championship by defeating Seton Hall Prep 71–60. In the 2015–2016 season, the team won their fifth Non Public A championship by defeating Don Bosco Preparatory High School by a score of 83–50 in the tournament final. Paul Rodio, a member of the Class of 1970, earned his 776th victory in February 2013 as St. Augustine Prep's head basketball coach, making him the winningest coach in South Jersey history. The wrestling team won the Parochial B South sectional championship in 1983–1986, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2014–2017, 2019 and 2020, and won the Parochial B state championship in 1984, 1985, 2001 and 2003. The wrestling team won Non Public B state titles in 2001 and 2003 over Gloucester Catholic High School and St. Mary's High School of East Rutherford respectively. The 2001 title was the team's first since 1985. In 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, the Hermits won the South Jersey Non Public A sectional title. The boys soccer team won the Non Public B state championship in 1991 (defeating Pingry School in the tournament final) and 1992 (vs. Delbarton School), and won the Non Public A title in 2003 (as co champion with Delbarton), 2005 (vs. Seton Hall Preparatory School), 2010 (vs. Pingry). The soccer team was declared state champion in the 2003 NJSIAA Parochial A Boys' Soccer State Tournament jointly with Delbarton School. The team was the Non Public A Champion in the 2005 Boys Soccer Non Public Finals, defeating Seton Hall Preparatory School 4–1. The soccer team finished the season with a record and 25 1 and won the Non Public A championship in 2010 with a 2–0 win over Pingry School, marking the program's fifth state title and their first since their 2005 win. The football team, which was established in 1989 and finished the 1992 season at 1 8, won the Non Public Group I state championship in 1995 with a 30 8 victory against St. Mary High School in the championship game, to finish the season with a record of 9 2. The tennis team won the Non Public, South A title in 2003 over Monsignor Donovan High School 4–1. The team won the Non Public, South A title again in 2005 and 2006, defeating Christian Brothers Academy 5 0 and 4–1, respectively. In 2007, the tennis team finished the year 10th on The Star Ledger's top 20 list having won the Non Public A State title in a come from behind 3–2 victory over Delbarton School, winning their first state title after having been swept 5 0 by Delbarton in both of their previous state title games. The swimming team won the Non Public B title in 2004 and the Non Public A championship in 2005, 2007 2009 and 2017. The swim team was the 4th ranked swim team in the nation in 2005. They won the 06 07 Non Public A state title with a 105–65 win against St. Joseph High School and the 07 08 Non Public A state title with a 109–61 victory over Seton Hall Preparatory School. The team won the 2017 Non Public A championship, the program's sixth state title, with an 89–81 victory over a Christian Brothers Academy team that had won the Non Public A title the seven previous years. The crew team's Lightweight 8+ won both the Stotesbury Cup Regatta and the Scholastic Rowing Association of America Regatta (commonly referred to as the "Scholastic Nationals") in the 2006 spring season, marking the first national title achieved by St. Augustine Prep. In the 2012 spring season, the Junior Varsity 8+ won the Scholastic Nationals. The ice hockey team won the Non Public state championship in 2007, won the Handchen Cup in 2006 and 2007, and won the Gordon Cup in 2011 (as co champion). The team claimed the 2006 07 Non Public state championship, defeating St. Peter's Preparatory School by a score of 3–1 on March 23, 2007, as the first South Jersey school to win the state title in hockey finishing the season with a 23 0 0 record and becoming the first ice hockey team in New Jersey history to go undefeated and untied. The boys tennis team won the Non Public Group A state championship in 2007, defeating runner up Delbarton School in the final match of the tournament. They boys lacrosse team won the Non Public Group A state championship in 2022 defeating runner up Delbarton School in the final game of the tournament. The baseball team won the Non Public A state championship in 2011 (defeating Pope John XXIII Regional High School in the tournament finals) and 2018 (vs. Delbarton School). The 2018 team finished the season with a 26 4 record after defeating Delbarton School by a score of 1 0 in the Non Public A playoff finals. The Hermits won the South Jersey Non Public A sectional title in 2019.