Mary Help of Christians Academy
Address
Map
659 Belmont Avenue

North Haledon
,
(Passaic County)
,
New Jersey
07508

United States
Coordinates40°56′48.59″N 74°11′20.06″W / 40.9468306°N 74.1889056°W / 40.9468306; -74.1889056
Information
TypePrivate, All-Girls
MottoBeauty, Truth, and Joy
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
Established1924
FounderSalesian Sisters of St. John Bosco
StatusOpen
CEEB code310485
NCES School ID00866181[5]
Head of schoolKelly Schuster[1]
Faculty17.8 FTEs[5]
Grades9–12[2]
Enrollment154 (as of 2021–22)[5]
Student to teacher ratio8.7:1[5]
Campus size16 acres (65,000 m2)
SloganThe Future is Here
Athletics conferenceNorth Jersey Interscholastic Conference
SportsBasketball, Bowling, Cheerleading, Cross Country, Soccer, Softball, Tennis, Track & Field, Volleyball
Team nameBlue Jays[4]
AccreditationMiddle States Association of Colleges and Schools[3]
School fees$1,400[2]
Tuition$14,995 (2023-24)[2]
Websitewww.maryhelp.org

Mary Help of Christians Academy is an all-girls, Roman Catholic high school in North Haledon, in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in eighth through twelfth grades.[2] Operated by the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco, the school is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson, though the school is operated independently of the Diocese.[6] Founded as an orphanage in 1921, the school took its current identity as a Catholic high school in 1944, and has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1978.[3]

As of the 2021–22 school year, the school had an enrollment of 154 students and 17.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 8.7:1. The school's student body was 61.7% (95) White, 27.9% (43) Hispanic, 5.2% (8) Black, 3.9% (6) Asian and 1.3% (2) two or more races.[5]

History

Mary Help of Christians Academy, a Catholic preparatory school in the Salesian tradition, embraces the charism of reason, religion and loving kindness as inspired by St. John Bosco and St. Mary Mazzarello. The school was founded as an orphanage and later became a boarding school for young women. It is situated on a 16.33-acre (6.61 ha) tract of land that was known as the Muhs Estate on Belmont Avenue in North Haledon. In 1921, the Muhs Estate was sold by its owner to the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco of the Eastern Province, and in 1924, Mary Help of Christians Academy opened its doors. The academy was established with 76 boarding students and 5 day students, most of whom were orphans.[7] At present, Mary Help of Christians Academy is a comprehensive college preparatory day school, which offers Advanced Placement courses, dual enrollment college credit bearing courses, and specialized internships in a variety of career fields.

The academy hosts summer programs for younger children in which students at the academy volunteer their time as camp counselors.[8]

Athletics

The Mary Help of Christians Blue Jays[4] participate in the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference, which is comprised of small-enrollment schools in Bergen, Hudson, Morris and Passaic counties, and was created following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[9][10][11] Prior to the realignment that took effect in the fall of 2010, MHCA spent one year as a member of the smaller Bergen County Scholastic League (BCSL).[12] With 198 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).[13]

Sports offered at Mary Help include basketball, bowling, cheerleading, dance team, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball.[4]

References

  1. ^ From the Head of School, Mary Help of Christians Academy. Accessed January 2, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d Tuition, Fees & Discounts, Mary Help of Christians Academy. Accessed January 2, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Mary Help of Christians Academy, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed February 7, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Mary Help of Christians Academy, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e School data for Mary Help Of Christians Academy, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed November 1, 2023.
  6. ^ Passaic County Catholic Schools, Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson. Accessed December 1, 2022.
  7. ^ History, Mary Help of Christians Academy. Accessed December 28, 2015.
  8. ^ Welcome, Mary Help Christians Camp. Accessed December 28, 2015.
  9. ^ Mattura, Greg. "Small-school NJIC may debut its own league championship", The Record, January 9, 2017. Accessed August 30, 2020. "The small-school North Jersey Interscholastic Conference may debut its own boys basketball tournament this season, one season after introducing its girls hoops championship. The NJIC is comprised of schools from Bergen, Passaic and Hudson counties and the event offered to the 36 boys teams would serve as an alternative to likely competing against larger programs in a county tournament."
  10. ^ Member Schools, North Jersey Interscholastic Conference. Accessed August 30, 2020.
  11. ^ League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  12. ^ New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association League Memberships – 2009-2010, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, backed up by the Internet Archive as of July 24, 2011. Accessed December 28, 2015.
  13. ^ NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.

External links

Public and private high schools of Passaic County, New Jersey
North Jersey Interscholastic Conference (NJSIAA)
Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson
Girls' schools in New Jersey
Girls' schools in the New York City suburbs
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