THE COMMUNITY: Staten Island is one of the five boroughs which together comprise the City of New York. Although not the smallest borough, it is the least populated and the most suburban in nature. Most housing takes the form of one or two-family dwellings clustered in communities referred to as “towns” with loose geographic boundaries. There are also pockets of multiple dwellings, town houses, private apartment buildings, and scattered areas of public housing. The student body of St. Joseph by-the-Sea resides primarily on the south shore of Staten Island. Middle and upper-middle class in nature, the south shore is comprised mostly of privately owned homes with inhabitants who are employed in civil service, private entrepreneurship, and professional careers. A large number commute to Manhattan for employment in the corporate world.

THE SCHOOL: St. Joseph by-the Sea is a private Catholic high school governed by a board of trustees with a principal who implements board policy. The Sisters of Charity opened St. Joseph by-the Sea in September, 1963 to meet the needs of a rapidly growing south shore community. Since the first graduating class in 1967, more than 9,000 students have been awarded Sea diplomas. In 1973, the school entered a new phase in its history when a diocesan priest was appointed principal and the school began admitting young men. The faculty currently consists of diocesan priests, Sisters of various communities and lay men and women.
The school is located on a 25-acre campus; eleven acres comprise the sports complex which includes two gymnasiums, an Olympic size track, a weight room, three tennis courts, and football, baseball, and softball fields. The recently constructed Fine Arts Center is home to a concert and marching band, an orchestra, chorus, and a theater group. The school library has 17,000 volumes organized by a fully computerized catalogue and circulation system. A 500-seat auditorium was dedicated in the fall of 1999, and a new athletic training center was opened in November 2001. All of the science labs were completely refurbished by 2003 with the technology needed for this century.
The Technology Department operates a state-of-the-art computer center. All students take courses in computer applications and technology and have access to over 130 computers throughout the building. From any computer, students can access library information, conduct research, and connect to the Internet.

ACCREDITATIONS: New York State Board of Regents
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Archdiocese of New York

THE ACADEMIC PROGRAM OF STUDIES: The program of studies at St. Joseph by-the-Sea follows not only the requirements of the State and the Archdiocese of New York, but also the special requirements set by the school’s curriculum committee. The courses of instruction follow the prescribed syllabi of the State of New York and the curriculum outlines prepared by the different academic departments at St. Joseph by-the-Sea.
Our courses of study are college preparatory. In addition to the Regents Program, we offer a Scholar’s Program to meet the needs and abilities of our academically-gifted students. Admission into this program is very competitive and is based on the results of an Archdiocesan-wide entrance exam (called TACHS) as well as subsequent placement tests.

SPECIAL FEATURES OF THE CURRICULUM: Honors courses are offered in all subjects for grades 9 to 11. A suffix of “H” designates such courses on the transcript.
With the exception of AP United States History taken in junior year, students in the Scholar’s Program customarily opt for the remaining advanced placement classes in their senior year. Sea offers the following AP courses: United States Government, Biology, Chemistry, English Literature and Calculus. A prefix of “AP” designates such courses on the transcript.
Several courses in Mathematics, Social Studies, Foreign Language and Science are affiliated with St. John’s University. Students who receive a grade of “B” or better are eligible to receive college credit from that institution.
Some of our students opt for summer study and internships at various colleges, universities, institutes and businesses.
Some of our students opt for summer study and internships at various colleges, universities, institutes, and businesses.

GRADING: Grades are numerical at St. Joseph by-the Sea and are administered on a 100 point scale. The high school does not use a 4.0 scale. Both cumulative and semester grades are recorded on the transcript. The passing grade for all subjects is 64.5 which is rounded to a 65. With the exception of Art Appreciation, Music Appreciation, Phys Ed and Regents Examination grades, all numerical grades are averaged when computing the overall GPA. Honors (H) and Advanced Placement (AP) are weighted with a multiple of 1.02 and 1.04 respectively. When reporting rank in class on college applications, the rank reflects a student’s standing in comparison to other students (i.e., 25 in a class of 289). The rank appears on the transcript.

SIZE:
St. Joseph by-the-Sea is home to approximately 1400 students and
75 Faculty (of which 4 are adjunct faculty at local colleges.) The
student-teacher ratio: 18:1

ADMISSIONS:
Based on the results of the Archdiocesan-wide entrance exam (TACHS). Students who indicate St. Joseph by-the-Sea as their first choice will be given primary consideration for admission and scholarships.