Academic Profile


SCHOOL BACKGROUND
Saint Thomas Aquinas High School, a Roman Catholic, co-educational, college-preparatory school, serves students in grades nine through twelve. Located on a 25-acre campus in urban Fort Lauderdale, a city of 187,000 in Broward County with a population of 1.7 million, STA accepts students from 102 feeder  schools, 59 Catholic parishes, and three counties. The Archdiocese of Miami operates the school accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The school holds membership 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 United States Department of Education has twice named STA a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, and the school ranks among the top 50 Catholic high schools in the country.

FACULTY
The professional staff, numbering 122 full-time members, consists of three religious and 120 laypersons, with 71 teachers holding advanced degrees. The ratio of students to teaching faculty stands at 18 to 1. The faculty averages 19 years of teaching experience and 12 years of STA teaching experience.

ENROLLMENT
The enrollment for 2010-2011 totals 2191 students.

SCHOOL YEAR
Divided into two semesters of 20 weeks each, the school year contains four grading periods. Six daily class periods of 50 minutes meet five times per week on a rotating schedule basis.

CURRICULUM
STA offers 171 different courses in nine disciplines. In the subject areas of English, Mathematics, Physical Education, Science, Social Studies, Foreign Language, Fine Arts, Theology, and Graphic Arts, most courses group students by ability:  Advanced Placement, Honors, and College Preparatory levels. Each student must enroll in a minimum of six courses each semester. 

REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION, 2010-2011: 24 CREDITS
4          Theology
4          English
4          Mathematics
3          Science
3          Social Studies
2          Foreign Language
0.5       Personal Fitness
0.5       Health
1.0       Fine Arts 
2          Electives

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

Six hundred, eighty-five students sat for 1,559 Advanced Placement tests in May, 2010.

Advanced Placement Awards
26    National Scholars
104  Scholars with Distinction
54    Scholars with Honors
100  Scholars

NATIONAL RECOGNITION PROGRAMS

 The Class of 2011 recognizes

               

The Class of 2010 recognizes

 24   National Merit Finalists

               

23  National Merit Finalists

 17   National Merit Commended Students

               

25  National Merit Commended Students

 2     National Achievement Semifinalists

               

4    National Achievement Finalists

 3     National Achievement Participants

               

1    National Achievement Semifinalist

 17   National Hispanic Scholars  

               

2    National Achievement Participants

 1     National Hispanic Honorable Mention

               

21  National Hispanic Scholars


TESTING PROFILE
The Class of 2010 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  
Class of 2010        574    570      581
Florida        496    498      479
Nation       501    516      492

Three hundred, fifty-one students sat for the ACT with a mean composite score of 24.1.
All students in Grades 9, 10, and 11 sat for the PSAT test.

COLLEGE PLACEMENT
The most recent graduating class had 99% of the students matriculating to college directly from St. Thomas Aquinas High School, with 96% attending four-year colleges and 3% attending two-year colleges.

SCHOLARSHIPS
In the Class of 2010, students received academic, athletic, military, and special talent scholarships totaling approximately $59,500,000.

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

STA includes all courses in computing the GPA. "A" = 4.0. Weighted courses reflect challenging academic requirements. The cumulative GPA, indicated on the transcript, begins in grade 9. A strong academic program, demanding system of grading, and competitive nature of the students comprise significant factors in evaluating students' records. STA does not rank students.