Overview

Archdiocese of Newark's first all-girls school

Immaculate Heart Academy was founded in 1960 as the first regional high school for girls in the Archdiocese of Newark. Its mission both at the time of foundation and today is to provide quality Catholic education to young women in an atmosphere characterized by respect for the individual, Christian community, and a high level of family involvement.

IHA is a college preparatory high school for young women, therefore a strong theme throughout the curriculum and extra-curricular activities is the development of the special gifts that women can bring to society. The interests and needs of women in the areas of academics, spirituality, the arts, athletics, and social interaction drive the programs offered at IHA. The emotional and psychological development of young women is fostered by the positive, supportive, and affirming attitudes of the administration, faculty, and staff.

Because change and growth are expected, IHA is a vital and vibrant school that has changed over the years in response to a number of factors. Because we are not a private school, we are proud to be a regional high school accessible for students of various demographics. The demographic make-up of our student body has remained remarkably stable with one exception: our students now come from not only Bergen County, but also Essex, Hudson, Morris, and Passaic counties; and Rockland and Orange counties in New York. The percentage of non-Catholic students has increased from less than 1 percent as late as 1984 to approximately 10 percent in 2022 and the number of students who attended public elementary school has increased from less than 1 percent in the early years to almost 60 percent today.

Morale is very high, student enrollment has been steadily increasing, SAT scores have risen, and state-of-the-art technology changes and room renovations have been made. IHA now enjoys a reputation as an academic, artistic, and athletic powerhouse with one very outstanding characteristic: the friendly, family atmosphere of the all-girls school is its trademark, and one of the main reasons why students choose to attend.

2023 SUMMER NEWSLETTER

Blue Ribbon School

In 1996, the U.S. Department of Education named Immaculate Heart Academy as a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. The purpose of the Blue Ribbon Schools Program is to identify and give national recognition to a diverse group of outstanding public and private schools across the nation.

Middle States Accreditation

IHA is accredited by the Commission on Secondary Schools of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Every five years, the school conducts an extensive self study of all institutional components. During the 2014-15 academic year, using Excellence by Design as the framework for our self-study, IHA evaluated our organization by looking at our mission from both academic and Catholic viewpoints. Immaculate Heart Academy has been recommended for re-accreditation for a seven year period ending in May 2022. For more information or questions about our Middle States process, please contact

Mrs. Maureen Layng at [email protected].

NJAIS Membership

On November 19, 2015, Immaculate Heart Academy was admitted for membership in the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools (NJAIS). While IHA has not identified itself as an independent school in the past, the quality of our programs, the superiority of our facilities, and the achievements of our students meet and even exceed the expectations of independent schools throughout the state.