Academic Profile

2009-2010

ADMINISTRATION
Supervising Principal - Rev. Monsignor Vincent T. Kelly
Assistant Supervising Principal - Rev. William Sullivan
Principal - Mrs. Tina Jones
Assistant Principal - Dr. Robert Mulder
Assistant Principal - Dr. Denise Aloma
Director of Guidance - Mrs. Alane Klink
Student Activities Director - Mrs. Margie Scott
Athletic Director - Mr. George Smith
Dean of Students - Mr. Rob Biasotti
Director of Professional Development - Mr. Joseph A. Marinaro, Esq

SCHOOL BACKGROUND
Saint Thomas Aquinas High School is a Roman Catholic co-educational college preparatory school for grades 9 through 12. The campus is located on a 24-acre campus in urban Fort Lauderdale, a city of 167,000 in Broward County which has a population of 1.7 million. Students enter St. Thomas Aquinas from 71 schools, 46 Catholic parishes and three counties. The school is operated by the Archdiocese of Miami. Accreditation is by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The school holds memberships in the National Catholic Educational Association, Southern Association of Independent Schools, Florida Association of Academic Non-Public Schools, Florida Catholic Conference, Broward County Non-Public School Association, and The College Board. The school has twice been named a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the United States Department of Education. Saint Thomas Aquinas High School has been named one of the top 50 Catholic high schools in the United States for the past four years.

FACULTY
There are 121 full-time members of the professional staff which consists of three religious and 118 laypersons, with 66 teachers holding advanced degrees. The ratio of students to teaching faculty is 18 to 1. The faculty has an average of 20 years teaching experience and 12 years teaching experience at this school.

ENROLLMENT
The total enrollment for 2008-2009 is 2152 students.

SCHOOL CALENDAR
The school calendar is divided into two semesters of 20 weeks each. Each semester is divided into two quarters for purposes of grading periods. Each school day is divided into six periods of fifty minutes each. Classes meet five times per week on a rotating schedule basis.

CURRICULUM
One hundred seventy-one different courses are offered in nine disciplines. In subject areas of English, Mathematics, Physical Education, Science, Social Studies, Foreign Language, Fine Arts, Theology, and Computer Science, courses are offered in ability groupings of Advanced Placement, Honors, and College Preparatory levels. Each student must enroll in six courses each semester.

REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION 2008-2009:

24 Credits total

4 Theology
4 English
4 Mathematics
3 Science
3 Social Studies
2 Foreign Language
0.5 Personal Fitness
0.5 Physical Education
0.5 Health
0.5 Fine Art
0.5 Computer Science
1.5 Elective

ADVANCED PLACEMENT
All students enrolled in Advanced Placement courses are required to take Advanced Placement exams. Advanced Placement courses are offered through the College Board Advanced Placement Program in Biology, Calculus AB and BC, Chemistry, Computer Science A, English Literature and Language Composition, French Language, Human Geography, Latin Literature, Macroeconomics, Physics, Psychology, Spanish Language and Literature, Statistics, Studio Art 2D, 3D, and Drawing, United States Government & Politics, United States History, and World History.

The May 2008 Advanced Placement tests were administered to 807 students taking 1,649 tests.

NATIONAL RECOGNITION PROGRAMS

In the Class of 2009 there are

16 National Merit Semifinalists
23 National Merit Commended Students

The National Achievement Scholarship Program recognized

2 Semifinalists
1 Outstanding Participant

The National Hispanic Scholars Program recognized

15 National Hispanic Scholars

In the Class of 2008 there were

30 National Merit Finalists
3 Semifinalists
1 National Achievement Finalists
2 National Achievement Semifinalist
3 National Achievement Participant
30 National Merit Commended Students
11 National Hispanic Scholars

TESTING PROFILE
The Class of 2008 achieved the following mean SAT scores as reflected by the highest attained score of each student and are compared to score reports from larger group populations:

	Reading	Math	Writing
STA Class	578	576	578

Florida	496	497	481
Nation	502	515	494

324 students sat for the ACT with a mean composite score of 24.

The PSAT is administered to all students in Grades 9, 10 and 11.

COLLEGE PLACEMENT
The most recent graduating class had 99% of the students matriculating to college directly from St. Thomas Aquinas. Four-year colleges were attended by 92% and 7% attended two-year colleges.

SCHOLARSHIPS
In the Class of 2008 students received academic, athletic, military, and special talent scholarships totaling approximately $32,000,000.

GRADING SCALE

A=90-100
B=80-89
C=70-79
D=60-69

All courses are included in the GPA. "A" = 4.0. Some courses are weighted reflecting their challenging academic requirements. Cumulative GPA begins in grade 9 and is indicated on the transcript. The strong academic program, the demanding system of grading, and the competitive nature of the students should be taken into consideration when evaluating students' records. Students are not ranked.