Aquinas Academy (AQA) is a private

coeducation Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

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 ...

school located in

Livingston Livingston or Livingstonemay refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North Am ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

that serves students from preschool through eighth grade. The school was founded in 1952 by Monsignor William McCann and the educational guidance of the Sisters of St. Dominic of

Caldwell, New Jersey Caldwell is a borough located in northwestern Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, about west of New York City and north-west of Newark, the state's most populous city. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population ...

. The school is located on the campus of St. Philomena Parish (a Roman Catholic church) and operates under the supervision of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark The Archdiocese of Newark () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in northeastern New Jersey in the United States. The mother church of the archdiocese is the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Hea ...

. The school is accredited by the

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, also referred to as the Middle States Association or MSA, is an accreditor in the United States. Historically, it has accredited schools in the Mid-Atlantic states region of the northeas ...

. The Academy is situated on the campus of Saint Philomena Parish. The original building, known today as McCann Hall, was formerly the Orange Rest Home. Throughout the years, additional buildings including a gymnasium, were added to the campus. As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 156 students (in K-8, plus 85 in PreKindergarten) and 13.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio The student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio refers to the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers or staff in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that ...

of 11.6:1.Aquinas Academy

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the principal federal agency responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data on education in the United States. Established under , it operates within the Institute of Education S ...

. Accessed July 25, 2012. As of June 30, 2025, the Aquinas Academy is now permanently closed.

Awards and recognition

In September 2013, the school was one of 15 schools in New Jersey to be recognized by the

United States Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a cabinet-level department of the United States government, originating in 1980. The department began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and ...

as part of the

National Blue Ribbon Schools Program The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...

, which Education Secretary

Arne Duncan Arne Starkey Duncan (born November 6, 1964) is an American educator and former professional basketball player who served as the 9th United States secretary of education from 2009 to 2015 and as Chief Executive Officer of Chicago Public Schools ...

described as schools that "represent examples of educational excellence".2013 National Blue Ribbon Schools All Public and Private
pp. 15-17.

. Accessed September 25, 2013.

References

External links

Aquinas Academy websiteSt. PhilomenaNational Center for Education Statistics data for Aquinas Academy
{{coord, 40.7811, -74.3194, region:US-NJ_type:edu, display=title 1952 establishments in New Jersey Educational institutions established in 1952 Livingston, New Jersey Private schools in Essex County, New Jersey Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark Catholic elementary schools in New Jersey