Wildwood Catholic Academy

Wildwood Catholic Academy (WCA), formerly Wildwood Catholic High School, is a co-educational pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade Catholic school in North Wildwood, in Cape May County, New Jersey. The school operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden. The school opened in September 1948 with an initial enrollment of 80 students. Wildwood Catholic High School has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1956; the school's accreditation expires in May 2023.Wildwood Catholic High School
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed February 13, 2022.

As of the 2017–18 school year, the school had an enrollment of 172 students and 15.9 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.8:1. The school's student body was 91.9% (158) White, 4.7% (8) Black, 2.3% (4) Asian and 1.2% (2) Hispanic.School data for Wildwood Catholic High School
National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed September 1, 2020.

History

Wildwood Catholic High School was established in 1948. In July 1948, Bishop Bartholomew J. Eustace presided over the dedication of a cornerstone for what was to be called St Ann's High School, which was to be constructed at a cost of $650,000 (now equivalent to $).

The diocese announced in January 2010 that Wildwood Catholic High School would close down after the 2009–10 school year, however, after fundraising efforts, the school raised enough money to remain open. The school building was to be used for a new elementary school, Cape Trinity Catholic, which was created as a merger of St. Ann Regional School in Wildwood and Star of the Sea Regional in Cape May so the school was now shared. Star of the Sea had absorbed St. Raymond in Villas three years prior.

On April 17, 2020, the Diocese of Camden announced that Wildwood Catholic was one of five New Jersey Catholic schools which would permanently close. Data from the Diocese showed that the two schools had 382 students in 2015, which had dropped to 337 by 2020, a 12% decline; the high school had received $750,000 in financial support from the Diocese during that five-year period. After a $1 million fundraising campaign, the school was once again saved after merging with Cape Trinity Catholic School, a lower grade Catholic school which had also been scheduled to close, to form Wildwood Catholic Academy for grades K-12.

Athletics

The Wildwood Catholic High School CrusadersWildwood Catholic High School
New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. compete in the National Division of the Cape-Atlantic League, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Atlantic County, Cape May County, Cumberland County, and Gloucester County, New Jersey and operates under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). With 118 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).

The boys' basketball team won the Non-Public Group C state championship in 1958 (defeating St. Cecilia High School of Kearny in the tournament final) and 1960 (vs. St. Anthony High School (New Jersey) of Jersey City).
The team had a school record-breaking season in 2019, recording a 27–2 record that included a 22-game undefeated streak and a program record for wins. The team's season ended in the Non-Public B South finals, in which the team lost in overtime to a Ranney School squad that went on to win the Tournament of Champions. The squad was recognized as Team of the Year by ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' and the '' Courier-Post''.

The boys' swimming team won the Division B state championship in 1998–2001.

The boys' soccer team won the 1998 Parochial B state title with a 2–1 win over Eastern Christian High School in a game played at The College of New Jersey, marking the program's first state championship. The winning goal was scored by senior Pat Mitchell.

The boys' cross country team was the state champion in 1998.NJSIAA Girls Cross Country State Group Champions
New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. Micheal Delaney won the state individual championship that same year.

The boys' soccer team won the 2006 South B state sectional championship with a 1–0 win over St. Rose High School in the tournament final.

The girls' cross country team won the Non-Public Group B state championship in 2006.

Notable alumni

* Justin Catanoso (born 1959), journalist and author of ''My Cousin The Saint, A Search for Faith, Family, and Miracles''.
* Joe Maloy (born 1985), triathlete who was chosen to represent the United States in triathlon at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics.Joe Maloy
United States Olympic Committee. Accessed August 10, 2016. "Birthplace: Somers Point, N.J.; Hometown: Wildwood Crest, N.J.; Current Residence: San Diego, Calif.; High School: Wildwood Catholic High School"

References

Further reading

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External links

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Data for Wildwood Catholic High School
National Center for Education Statistics
South Jersey Sports: Wildwood Catholic High School

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1948 establishments in New Jersey
Catholic secondary schools in New Jersey
Educational institutions established in 1948
Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools
Private high schools in Cape May County, New Jersey
Private K-12 schools in New Jersey
Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden
Schools in Cape May County, New Jersey
The Wildwoods, New Jersey