St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Florida)

St. Thomas Aquinas High School
Address
Map
2801 Southwest 12th Street

Fort Lauderdale
,
Florida
33312

United States
Coordinates26°6′28″N 80°10′49″W / 26.10778°N 80.18028°W / 26.10778; -80.18028
Information
TypePrivate
MottoVita ∙ Deo ∙ Veritas
(Life ∙ God ∙ Truth)
DenominationCatholic
Patron saint(s)St. Thomas Aquinas
Established1936
OversightArchdiocese of Miami
DeanRobert Biasotti
PrincipalDenise Aloma
Supervising PrincipalVincent T. Kelly
Faculty130
Grades9–12
GenderCoeducational
Enrollment2,420 (2023)
Student to teacher ratio17:1
Campus size25 acres (10 ha)
Campus typeUrban
Color(s)Blue and Gold    
MascotRaider Male
NicknameSaint Tommy's
Team nameRaiders
Accreditation Blue Ribbon 2022[1]
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Test averageSAT (Class of 2019): 616.7 Language
603.9 Mathematics
PublicationSpectrum (Literary Magazine)
NewspaperRaider Review
www.raiderreview.org
YearbookVeritas
Tuition$14,750
$10,200 for students and families participating and contributing in a Catholic Parish
Websitewww.aquinas-sta.org

St. Thomas Aquinas High School is a private, Catholic, college-preparatory high school in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The school was founded in 1936 as part of St. Anthony School and moved to its current location in southwest Fort Lauderdale in 1952. It is sponsored by the Archdiocese of Miami and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The school currently enrolls 2,420 students[2] on its 25-acre (100,000 m2) campus.

The Raiders athletic teams have won over 100 state championships and have achieved a national profile. Graduates of St. Thomas Aquinas include numerous professional athletes, thirteen Olympians, prominent state politicians, and award-winning authors and actors.

History

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St. Anthony High School was founded by the Dominican Sisters of Adrian, Michigan in 1926. The upper school was added in 1936 and grew to a student body of 42 in four years, boasting nine graduates who comprised the Class of 1940.

The upper school was renamed Central Catholic High School and moved to its present location in 1952. The original Central Catholic campus consisted of the main office wing, library, 15 classrooms, patio, cafeteria, kitchen, coaches’ office, and locker room facilities. The school erected a statue of Mary in 1957 that still graces the campus today.

In September 1961, due to the opening of Cardinal Gibbons High School, a second Catholic school in Fort Lauderdale, the school chose St. Thomas Aquinas as its patron and official name.[3]

Academics

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On October 3rd, 2022, for the third time in its history, Broward’s oldest Catholic high school was designated a Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. This 2022 award — as an Exemplary High Performing School — adds to the ones St. Thomas won in 1984 and 1996. Winning schools must wait five years before applying for another award.

On May 29, 1996, President Bill Clinton presented St. Thomas Aquinas High School with the Department of Education Blue Ribbon Award for excellence in education. This was the second time where St. Thomas Aquinas received recognition by the U.S. Department of Education. During the 1984-1985 school year, the school was first recognized as a "School of Excellence".

St. Thomas Aquinas High School has been named to the Catholic High School Honor Roll five times (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2010). It is the only Catholic high school in the Archdiocese of Miami to have been listed as one of the Top 50 Catholic high schools in the United States for five years.[4]

Admissions

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St. Thomas Aquinas accepts students from 105 feeder schools, 46 Catholic parishes, and three counties.[3] An entrance exam is required for all incoming Freshmen. Prospective students must submit their first semester 8th grade report card and two letters of recommendation from their current school.[5] Prospective transfer students must submit an application along with a copy of their current high school transcript and two academic letters of recommendation from current school officials.[6]

Faculty and curriculum

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The St. Thomas Aquinas faculty consists of three religious and 127 laypersons, with 74 teachers holding advanced degrees. The ratio of students to teaching faculty stands at 17 to 1. The faculty averages 20 years of teaching experience and 12 years of experience at the school.


The school offers 195 different courses in 9 subjects: English, Mathematics, Physical Education, Science, Social Studies, Foreign Language, Fine Arts, Computer/Graphic Arts, and Theology. Students are grouped by ability with course offerings at Advanced Placement, Honors and College-Preparatory levels[citation needed].

Athletics

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In 2005, St. Thomas Aquinas was recognized by Sports Illustrated as the third best high school athletic program in the nation.[7] The criteria emphasized all-around excellence during the last 10 years and included state championships won and the number of college athletes produced.

In 2011, St. Thomas Aquinas was named the nation's top athletic program by Maxpreps.[8]

The Raiders have won 115 FHSAA state championships and have graduated such student athletes as Chris Evert, Michael Irvin and Sanya Richards-Ross. The school has been awarded the Broward County all-sports trophy by the Sun-Sentinel for 35 consecutive years. The athletic department has also won the FHSAA Dodge Sunshine Cup every year since the awards inception in 1995.[9]

State championships

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Boys

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Girls

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  • Basketball - 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
  • Cross Country - 2012, 2013
  • Golf - 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 2001
  • Lacrosse - 2021
  • Soccer - 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017
  • Softball - 1986, 1993, 2002, 2003, 2013, 2014
  • Swimming - 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004
  • Tennis - 1972, 1985, 1986, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2022
  • Track and Field - 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021
  • Volleyball - 1995, 2004, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2023

Notable alumni

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Athletics

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Arts, entertainment, and civil service

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Other

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References

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  1. ^ "2022 National Blue Ribbon Schools" (PDF). United States Department of Education. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  2. ^ "Admissions - St. Thomas Aquinas High School". www.aquinas-sta.org. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "History of the school", www.aquinas-sta.org
  4. ^ "Academic profile", www.aquinas-sta.org
  5. ^ "Freshmen admissions", www.aquinas-sta.org, archived from the original on August 27, 2014
  6. ^ "Upperclassmen admissions", www.aquinas-sta.org, archived from the original on September 4, 2011
  7. ^ Menez, Gene; Woo, Andrea (May 11, 2005), "Best High School Athletic Programs", Sports Illustrated, archived from the original on April 22, 2006
  8. ^ St. Thomas Aquinas named nation's top athletic program, archived from the original on October 27, 2011
  9. ^ "Tradition of Excellence", www.aquinas-sta.org, archived from the original on November 13, 2013
  10. ^ Bernstein, Dan (January 31, 2020). "Behind the Bosa brothers: How Nick and Joey Bosa took the NFL by storm". Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  11. ^ Pashelka, Curtis (August 18, 2019). "Ten things to know about Nick Bosa's high school, which visits De La Salle on Friday night". Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  12. ^ Overstake, Grant (March 29, 1984). "Pinstripes bring Brown great relief". The Miami Herald. p. 15. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
  13. ^ Bailey, Eric (July 18, 2018). "OU Football: Jaden Davis, four-star cornerback from Fort Lauderdale, commits to Sooners". Tulsa World. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  14. ^ Smith, Brian (December 20, 2023). "Miami Hurricanes Sign Cornerback Romanas Frederique". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  15. ^ Shweky, Brett (February 1, 2022). "St. Thomas Aquinas three-star running back picks Colorado over FSU and UCF". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  16. ^ Lichtenstein, Adam (June 20, 2019). "St. Thomas four-star receiver Marcus Rosemy picks Georgia over Miami, Florida and Ohio State". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  17. ^ Lichtenstein, Adam (December 24, 2018). "St. Thomas 2021 defensive lineman Tyreak Sapp commits to Florida Gators". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
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