In the early months of COVID-19, the private school sector took quite a hit. According to the Cato Institute's Private Schooling Status Tracker, a whopping 130 private school closures were announced from March to August 2020. Around 85 percent of those were Catholic schools, which tend to be older, have lower tuitions, and serve a lower income population compared to other private schools. Parents and community members sometimes pushed back when school closures were announced. For example, on April 17, 2020, the Diocese of Camden announced the closure of five schools, including Saint Joseph High School in Hammonton, New Jersey. A group of parents, alumni, and other supporters tried unsuccessfully to convince the bishop to keep the school open. However, after the diocese vacated the property, the supporters were able to lease it from the local school district, which owned it. It reopened that September as Saint Joseph Academy (SJA), an independent private high school rooted in the Catholic faith.
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Table of Contents
- In the early months of COVID-19 the private school sector took quite a hit. 1
- According to the Cato Instituteʼs Private Schooling Status Tracker a 1
- August 2020. Around 85 percent of those were Catholic schools which 1
- Parents and community members sometimes pushed back when school 1
- Camden announced the closure of five schools including Saint Joseph 1
- High School in Hammonton New Jersey. A group of parents alumni and 1
- Fast forward to today Saint Joseph Academy is educating around 200 1
- Steve Cappuccio became head of school at SJA in 2022 after a 20-plus- 1
- Itʼs been a blessing. Iʼve always had a dream of running my own school 2
- Philadelphia or somewhere down South to do that he says. I live in 2
- Hammonton. So I live less than 5 minutes from the school which is a 2
- As a small school aligned with the Catholic faith Steve recognizes that St. 2
- Joseph Academy needs to offer something distinct from other schools. He 2
- I think education actually should be more than just college. To me itʼs 2
- Taking the idea of service a step further SJA founded a Servant 2
- Leadership Institute over the summer. Our kids are committed to doing 2
- Olympics. Itʼs gotten a very positive reception from students parents and 2
- Since many Catholic schools are struggling and possibly looking to stay 2
- This will help guide decisions in the way that makes sense for a private 2
