The school added an eighth grade in the 2021-22 school year.[12]
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.[8]
The school’s graduating Class of 2024 was offered over $55 million in scholarships. [13]
History
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.[11]
On October 8, 2014 the Prep held a dedication ceremony for the new Navone Athletic Training Facility. The 5,000 square foot facility includes cross fit equipment, a batting cage, and a weight room. It is named in honor of its benefactor Paul Navone.[14]
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.[15][16] 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.[17]
Campus
The school's campus consists of seven buildings set over 118 acres (0.48 km2) of wooded property. The principal educational facilities are Augustinian Hall, The Louis & Josephine Buondonno Forum; Edith Favretto Scarpa Arts & Sciences Building; Vincent L. Buondonno Center; Greek Amphitheater; LaRosa Field; Turf Field; and the Navone Athletic Training Facility.
Athletic fields include 5 tennis courts; a lacrosse field; 2 practice football/mixed use fields; and 2 baseball fields.
The Saint Augustine Prep Hermits[5] 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).[19] 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).[20] The football team competes in the American Division of the 94-team West Jersey Football League superconference[21][22] and was classified by the NJSIAA as Non-Public Group A (equivalent to Group III/IV/V for public schools) for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 738 to 1,404 students.[23]
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.[5] St. Augustine teams have recently competed in state championships for baseball, hockey, tennis, basketball, golf, swimming, soccer, wrestling, lacrosse, and crew.
The boys' cross country team won the Non-Public Group C state championship in 1974 (as co-champion) and 1976-1978.[24]
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).[25] The team won the 2001 Parochial South B sectional championship defeating McCorristin Catholic High School by 65–49 in the tournament final.[26] The basketball team won the 2002 Parochial South A, defeating Camden Catholic High School 50–45.[27] The team won again in 2004 with a 56–48 win over Camden Catholic High School.[28] In 2010–11, the basketball team won their fourth Non-Public A championship by defeating Seton Hall Prep 71–60.[29] 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.[30] 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.[31]
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.[32] 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.[33][34] In 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, the Hermits won the South Jersey Non-Public A sectional title.[35]
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).[36] The soccer team was declared state champion in the 2003 NJSIAA Parochial A Boys' Soccer State Tournament jointly with Delbarton School.[37] The team was the Non-Public A Champion in the 2005 Boys Soccer Non-Public Finals, defeating Seton Hall Preparatory School 4–1.[38] 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.[39]
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.[40][41]
The tennis team won the Non-Public, South A title in 2003 over Monsignor Donovan High School 4–1.[42] The team won the Non-Public, South A title again in 2005 and 2006, defeating Christian Brothers Academy 5-0 and 4–1, respectively.[43] 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.[44]
The swimming team won the Non-Public B title in 2004 and the Non-Public A championship in 2005, 2007-2009, 2017, 2023 and 2024.[45] The swim team was the 4th-ranked swim team in the nation in 2005.[citation needed] They won the 06-07 Non-Public A state title with a 105–65 win against St. Joseph High School[46] 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.[47] The 2022-23 team captured the Non-Public A state championship with a 91-79 victory over Christian Brothers Academy in February 2023. The team repeated as Non-Public A champions in the 2023-24 season, claiming the program’s eighth state title with an 95–75 victory over Bergen Catholic High School in February 2024.[48]
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.[49][50] In the 2012 spring season, the Junior Varsity 8+ won the Scholastic Nationals.[51]
The ice hockey team won the Non-Public state championship in 2007, 2023 and 2024, won the Handchen Cup in 2006 and 2007, and won the Gordon Cup in 2011 (as co-champion).[52] 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[53] 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.[54] In the 2022-23 season, St. Augustine Prep captured the Non-Public state championship by defeating Delbarton School 3–2 in overtime in March 2023, with the game-winning goal scored just 11 seconds into overtime. The following season, the team repeated as Non-Public state champions with a 10–6 victory over Don Bosco Preparatory High School in March 2024, setting the record as the highest-scoring state final in New Jersey high school hockey history.[55][56]
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.[57]
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.[58]
The baseball team won the Non-Public A state championship in 2011 (defeating Pope John XXIII Regional High School in the tournament finals), 2018 (vs. Delbarton School) and 2024 (vs. Delbarton).[59] 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.[60] The Hermits won the South Jersey Non-Public A sectional title in 2019.[61]
Brendan McHugh (born 1990, class of 2008), swimmer who specializes in breaststroke events. He is the former U.S. Open record holder in the 50 meters breaststroke (27.10) and the 2014 National Champion in that event[74]
^School ProfileArchived November 29, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, St. Augustine Preparatory School. Accessed November 19, 2014. "St. Augustine Preparatory School is a college preparatory school located in southern New Jersey."
^"St. Augustine Prep names Father Murray its next leader", Community Bulletin, November 29, 2016. Accessed February 1, 2017. "St. Augustine Preparatory announced Father Robert J. Murray, O.S.A., Ph.D., as the next leader at St. Augustine Preparatory School, Richland.... These two appointments, which will take effect following graduation in June 2017, underscore significant steps forward for the two schools, and a reinforcement of the commitment of the Augustinians to our educational apostolate."
^"Areas We Serve". St. Augustine Preparatory School. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
^Home Page, West Jersey Football League. Accessed May 1, 2023. "The WJFL is a 94-school super conference that stretches from Princeton to Wildwood encompassing schools from the Colonial Valley Conference, the Burlington County Scholastic League, the Olympic Conference, the Tri-County Conference, the Colonial Conference, and the Cape Atlantic League. The WJFL is made up of sixteen divisions with divisional alignments based on school size, geography and a strength-of-program component."
^Minnick, Kevin. "Boys' Basketball: Morton, St. Augustine overpower Seton Hall Prep", Courier-Post, March 12, 2011. Accessed July 17, 2011. "In his first appearance on the game's biggest stage, Isaiah Morton delivered an MVP performance.... The dynamic senior collected a game-high 30 points and fueled his team's competitive fire as the Hermits defeated Seton Hall Prep 71-60 in the Non-Public A state final Saturday at Poland Spring Arena.... It's the first state title for St. Augustine (28-2) since 2004 and the fourth in school history."
^Anastasia, Phil. "Mutts is already big-time for St. Augustine", The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 16, 2016. Accessed October 9, 2017. "St. Augustine Prep was so dominant Saturday night in an 83-50 victory over Don Bosco Prep in the Non-Public A state title game that few individual moments stood out."
^Evans, Bill. "St. Augustine wrestling captures fourth straight S.J. Non-Public A title", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, February 10, 2017. Accessed February 10, 2018. "The St. Augustine High School wrestling team captured a fourth consecutive South Jersey Non-Public A title on Friday night, knocking off youthful Camden Catholic, 43-22."
^Orlando, Chris. "St. Augustine 2, Pingry 0", The Star-Ledger, November 16, 2010. Accessed July 17, 2011. "Hurff converted the lone opportunity he had early in the first half and Palmieri added a big insurance goal late in the second as St. Augustine, No. 8 in The Star-Ledger Top 20, earned a 2-0 victory over top-ranked Pingry in the championship game of the NJSIAA/The Sports Authority Stores Non-Public A tournament amid steady rain before 500 at The College of New Jersey in Ewing. The championship was the fifth overall for St. Augustine (25-1) and first since it defeated Seton Hall Prep for the Non-Public A title in 2005."
^Avington, Bill. "St. Augustine beats St. Mary's for state Parochial 1 title", The Philadelphia Inquirer, December 3, 1995. Accessed February 18, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "St. Augustine fielded its first football team in 1989. Now the school can unfurl an NJSIAA state Parochial 1 championship banner, thanks to the Hermits' impressive 30-8 win over visiting St. Mary's of Bergen County yesterday. St Augustine (9-2) ran the ball often against the Gaels (7-4) with excellent results.... The win fulfilled a prediction made by Fucetola to his current seniors after they had gone 1-8 as sophomores in 1992."
^Smith, Michael. "St. Aug. wins state boys tennis title", The Press of Atlantic City, May 25, 2007. Accessed July 17, 2011. "Since St. Augustine began its tennis program 12 years ago, coach Sam Miles has been dreaming of a state title. The previous two years, the Hermits fell to five-time defending champions Delbarton in the Non-Public A state championship, 5-0. both times. But this time around, the Hermits relied on their singles players, who rallied to lead the Prep over Delbarton 3-2 to win the school's first tennis state title."
^Grugan, Erin. "St. Augustine Prep shocks CBA to win 6th state title", The Press of Atlantic City, February 25, 2017. Accessed November 21, 2017. "The Hermits took an early lead and held on to upset top-seeded Christian Brothers Academy 89-81 and take home their sixth state Non-Public A boys title Saturday at The College of New Jersey.... This year, the third-seeded Hermits (11-2) took the upper hand early to end CBA’s seven-year title streak."
^Drexel Crew Signs Coxswain for 2007-08 SeasonArchived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Drexel University. Accessed April 7, 2007. "Matyas, a stand-out coxswain at St. Augustine Preparatory School in Richland, N.J., guided the lightweight varsity eight to gold medal performances at the New Jersey state championships, the Philadelphia City Championships, the Stotesbury Cup Regatta, and the High School Scholastic Nationals."
^Gorka, Janit. "Scholastic Nationals 2012", row2k, May 28, 2012. Accessed December 5, 2013. "The Junior Eight race pitted New York-Pennsylvania-New Jersey in the center lanes. The same crews: St. Anthony's, St Joseph's Prep and St. Augustine faced each other in the Stotesbury Cup last week with "The Prep" winning that race and New Yorkers' St. Anthony's second. This Memorial Day weekend, it was St. Augustine from Richland, NJ who came out on top."
^"Q&A from NJP: Dom Morrone"Archived December 10, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, NJPowerRanking.com, June 2, 2008 Volume P-12. Accessed December 5, 2013. "[Q] St. Augustine had arguably the best season in NJ high school hockey history. When you think back about the 2006/07 season, what were your best memories? [A] Going 23-0-0 is just an unbelievable feeling to this day.... [Q] Yourself, Crowe, Stern, Macalino, Casale, Mara, Healey and many more contributed to the first undefeated season in state history."
^Russso, John. "St. Augustine beats Delbarton 1-0 for state title", The Press of Atlantic City, June 9, 2018. Accessed February 22, 2021. "Vanderslice, in turn, did his part, throwing a complete-game shutout to lead St. Augustine to a 1-0 win over Delbarton to win the state Non-Public A championship at Bob DeMeo Field at Veterans Park in Mercer County.... Records—Delbarton 22-9, St. Augustine 26-4."
^Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey, 2008, p. 255. E. J. Mullin, 2008. Accessed December 4, 2022 "John F. Amodeo, Rep., Margate - Mr. Amodeo was born Aug. 1, 1950, in Camden and raised on Absecon Island. He attended Margate schools and is a graduate of St. Augustine Prep."
^Jack CrawfordArchived September 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Penn State Nittany Lions football. Accessed July 16, 2012. "Hometown: Longport, N.J. High School: St. Augustine... He moved to the U.S. in 2005, intending to pursue basketball as his primary sport. As a junior at St. Augustine (N.J.) Prep in 2006, he joined the football team and found immediate success as a defensive end and tight end."
^Barlas, Thomas. "St. Augustine Prep graduates told 'We are the best'", The Press of Atlantic City, May 18, 2014. Accessed July 6, 2018. "The class of 1964 was school’s second graduating class, which had 30 students. One of those graduates was William Gormley, a longtime state senator representing much of Atlantic County."
^Staff reports. "St. Augustine Prep honors Dan Hilferty with Mendel Medal"Archived December 2, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Ocean City Gazette, November 24, 2014. Accessed December 1, 2014. "Ocean City native, and 1974 graduate of St. Augustine Prep, Daniel J. Hilferty received the 2014 Gregor Mendel Medal at dinner held in his honor at the Union League of Philadelphia on Nov. 13."
^Austin Johnson, Penn State Nittany Lions football. Accessed November 20, 2014. "Johnson was an all-state and All-South Jersey honoree at St. Augustine Prep, which produced former Nittany Lion defensive end Jack Crawford, a 2012 NFL Draft choice who plays with the Oakland Raiders."
^Garcia, Julian. "Nova Landa St. Augustine Big Man"Archived May 3, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, New York Daily News, September 30, 1998. Accessed May 10, 2011. "Andrew Sullivan, a 6-7, 210-pound forward out of Richland (N.J.) St. Augustine Prep, announced yesterday that he will play basketball for Villanova next season."
