Paramus Catholic High School


Paramus Catholic High School is a co-educational Roman Catholic high school located in Paramus in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The school, founded in 1965, under Archbishop Thomas A. Boland, and Superintendent of Schools, Monsignor Joseph P. Tuite, Paramus Catholic operated as a co-institutional school until 1995. Paramus Catholic was staffed by the Brothers of Christian Schools under the leadership of Bro. James P. Kelly, FSC, Principal, and Paramus Catholic Girls' High School by the Sisters of Charity of Convent Station, NJ, under the leadership of Sr. Helen Demetria, SC, Principal. There was a sharing of the plant and facility, however, the two schools operated as separate academic institutions. Paramus Catholic was the last secondary school established by the Archdiocese of Newark in Bergen County. The two schools were unified into one by the Archdiocese of Newark beginning in the 1995-1996 school year. When the school was unified to one academic institution, the Christian Brothers withdrew from involvement, and the Sisters of Charity took over leadership, until their withdrawal from the school in the early 2000s. Paramus Catholic High School is one of several high schools in the Archdiocese of Newark. It has the largest enrollment of any Roman Catholic high school in the state of New Jersey.
Paramus Catholic is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools since 1996. Only one student is accepted for every four applicants.
As of the 2017-18 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,353 students and 103.0 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 13.0:1. The school's enrollment was 37% White, 18% Black, 26% Hispanic, 12% Asian and 7% other races.
In the 2017-2018 school year, Principal Stephanie Macaluso assumed leadership of the school.

Extracurricular activities and athletics

The Paramus Catholic High School Paladins compete in the Big North Conference, following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Prior to the 2010 realignment, the school participated in the North Bergen Interscholastic Athletic League. In addition to football, cheer and girls basketball, they are also a consistent power in ice hockey, girls swimming, and boys basketball. Their biggest rivals include Bergen Catholic High School, Immaculate Heart Academy, St. Joseph Regional High School, Academy of the Holy Angels and Don Bosco Preparatory High School.
The school is known for its cheerleading squad and dance team. They both have won many national and state titles such as the 2002 State cheer champions, 2003 EDA National dance champions, 2004 Spirit Championship champions, 2005 NDA junior varsity pom national champions, 2006 Spirit Sports National champions, 2007 State Parochial cheer champions, 2007 EDA National dance champions and 2008 EDA National Dance Champions-Varsity Jazz/JV Jazz and Pom and Prop. 2009 EDA National Dance Team Champions- JV Jazz and Pom and Prop. 2010 EDA National Dance Team Champions- Varsity Hip Hop and Variety and JV Jazz and Pom.
The softball team won the Parochial North A state sectional championship in 2001 with a string of shutout victories, topping Mount Saint Dominic Academy 2-0 in the first round, Immaculate Heart Academy 2-0 in the semifinals and Pope John XXIII Regional High School 2-0 in the tournament final.
The girls' basketball team won the 2001 Parochial North A title with a 49-42 win over Immaculata High School.
In the summer of 2010, Paramus Catholic formed a marching band for the first time, making it the only Catholic high school to have a marching band in the Archdiocese of Newark and Paterson.
The football team won the Non-Public Group III state sectional championship in 1997, the Non-Public Group I title in 2007 and the Non-Public Group IV title in 2012, 2013 & 2016. With the hiring of alumni Chris Partridge, the Paramus Catholic football team improved and began to compete more effectively against Bergen Catholic High School and Don Bosco Preparatory High School in New Jersey's Group IV Non-Public division. In December 2012, the Paramus Catholic football team won the Non-Public Group IV state championship against Bergen Catholic High School by a final score of 37-34 on a touchdown scored with 1:16 left in the game. This was the program's first Group IV title and its first sectional championship since 1997. Also in 2013 & 2016 the football team won the Non-Public Group IV state sectional championship, defeating St. Peter's Preparatory School by scores of 13-6, & 33-28 in the tournament final.

Weekend school

As of February 2013 the Japanese Weekend School of New Jersey, a Japanese supplementary weekend school, holds classes at Paramus Catholic, while the school offices are in Fort Lee. It is one of the two weekend Japanese school systems operated by the Japanese Educational Institute of New York, a nonprofit organization which also operates two Japanese day schools in the New York City area.

Notable alumni