Cardinal Ritter College Prep High School is a
private,
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
high school
A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...
in
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...
. It is located in the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis.
Background
Cardinal Ritter Prep opened on September 6, 1979. It is named for Cardinal
Joseph Ritter,
Archbishop of St. Louis in the mid-20th century. From 1977–1978, a community representative task force was established by the Board of Catholic Education of the St. Louis Archdiocese to study the future existence of a Catholic school in the old Labouré location in North St. Louis. Arrangements to establish Cardinal Ritter College Prep High School as a co-educational college preparatory high school began in August 1979.
On May 18, 2003, Cardinal
Justin Rigali dedicated the new Cardinal Ritter Preparatory High School adjacent to the
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Missi ...
campus. The school opened for students in August 2003.
Ritter Prep is ranked in the top 50% among the large private high schools in Missouri.
Location
When the school first opened, it was located in the neighborhood of
Walnut Park. In 2003, a new location was opened adjacent to
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Missi ...
on 701 N. Spring Ave.
Athletics
The school is in
MSHSAA Class 3, with some sports played in different classes based on size and success. Cardinal Ritter plays soccer in Class 1, while its football program has moved up from Class 3 to the much more prestigious Class 5 in recent years to accommodate the level of success the team has had. The athletic conference they are a member of is the
Archdiocesan Athletic Association. The school has 8 varsity sports. Sports offered here are Football, Volleyball, Dance, Cheerleading, Cross Country, Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball, Baseball, Boys Track & Field, and Girls Track & Field.
Notable alumni
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Chopsquad DJ, DJ
*
Chris Carrawell, former NBA basketball player
*
Ali Jones, rapper
*
Rockwell Knuckles, rapper
*
Fredrick Moore, American football player
*
Jahidi White, basketball player
*
Jameson Williams, American football player
*
Loren Woods
Loren Gerard Woods (born June 21, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. He previously played six seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
High school and college career
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Woods atte ...
, basketball player
Notes and references
External links
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{{authority control
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis
Roman Catholic secondary schools in St. Louis
Educational institutions established in 1979
1979 establishments in Missouri