Benedictine Academy

Benedictine Academy is a Catholic parochial, college preparatory high school that serves young women in ninth through twelfth grades in Elizabeth, in Union County, New Jersey, United States. The school was opened in 1915 by the Benedictine Sisters of Elizabeth, Saint Walburga Monastery, and operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark.The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools since 1996.As of the 2013-14 school year, the school had an enrollment of 191 students and 20.1 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.5:1. The school's student body was 50.8% Black, 38.7% Hispanic, 6.3% White, 2.6% Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander and 1.6% Asian. Benedictine Academy welcomes students of any race, color, national and ethnic origins. The BA faculty comprises Benedictine Sisters, members of other religious communities and lay teachers, 70% of whom have advanced degrees.Awards and recognitionIn June 2011, Benedictine Academy was recognized as the National Jefferson Award Jefferson Awards for Public Service "Best New School" in recognition of programs developed at the school to combat bullying and human trafficking.