Saint Augustine High School (Laredo, Texas)

Saint Augustine High School is a Catholic Diocesan co-educational private high school located in Laredo, Texas. Grades 8th through 12th grade are taught in a Christian environment. St. Augustine is the only Catholic high school in Laredo. There are approximately 390 students attending St. Augustine High School at the high school level.

History

St. Augustine was founded by the Oblates and the Sisters of Divine Providence in 1927. It was named in honor of Aurelius Augustinus (also known as Augustine of Hippo or Saint Augustine), one of the most important figures in the development of Western Christianity. The original St. Augustine campus was located in downtown in San Agustin Historical District in Laredo, Texas. During the mid-1970s the school was relocated. Through 1999 the school was under the control of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Corpus Christi. In 2000 the Roman Catholic Diocese of Laredo was established and the control of the school transferred to it. St. Augustine School is accredited by the Texas Catholic Conference Education Department. ^[1]

Community

There are 390 students enrolled with a class size of approximately 100/class and a student/ teacher ratio of 22:1; The Class of 2011 included 98 seniors, half of whom graduated “DAP”, as per the Distinguished Achievement Plan, the highest graduation plan, of the state of Texas. The grading scale is as follows- 90-100: A; 80-89: B; 70-79: C; 69- below: F (failing).

Curriculum

St. Augustine High School, a college preparatory institution, bases its curriculum on the State of Texas’ Distinguished Achievement Plan (DAP) with the following courses: English (4 credits), Theology (4 credits), Social Studies (4 credits), Math (4 credits), Science (4 credits), Foreign Language (3 credits), Physical Education (1 credit), Art (1 credit), Speech (.5 credits), SAT required electives (1.5 credits), Electives (1 credit). These courses collectively give every student at St. Augustine High School a total of 28 credits. Advancement Placement courses offered include- Biology, Calculus, Environmental Science, English and World History. Juniors and Seniors are given the opportunity to be concurrently enrolled at Laredo Community College or Texas A&M International University for dual credits of 12-24 college hours. With the college credit measure, over 50% of the Class of 2012 is projected to graduate DAP. In 2011, St. Augustine High School embarked upon the UT ChemBridge Program in which Seniors took CHEM 304&305 on-line as dual credit courses for 6 hours of college credit through the University of Texas at Austin. However, as of the 2013-2014 academic year, the program is no longer in effect. In 2012, the school partnered with Incarnate Word Prep to offer Psychology on-line for dual credit.

Athletics

St. Augustine School offers sports programs for its students.

• Basketball
• Baseball
• Golf
• Softball
• Tennis
• Track and Field
• Cross Country
• Volleyball
• Soccer

College admission

Traditionally, all St. Augustine graduates apply, are accepted, and attend college- whether in Texas, throughout the U.S, or internationally. Of the Class of 2011, 72% of graduates are attending universities, 23%, colleges, and 5% are studying in Mexico; of the 72% attending universities, 15% are enrolled at Catholic universities, 15% at Texas A&M or UT; 10% at other universities in Texas, 5% out of state, and the remainder at A&M or UT System Schools.

Class rank and GPA are calculated numerically each semester based upon a traditional 100 point scale. The average GPA for the top 25% of the Class of 2011 was 95 and the class median was 90. The average SAT score of the top 10% of the graduates of May 2011 was 1150 (Math & Reading) and of the top 25%, 1100. Our graduates receive scholarships based on need and merit, with last year’s class receiving nearly $3 million in awards. In the Class of 2011 one student earned the prestigious distinction of being named National Hispanic Scholar, while one earned the Gates Millennium Award.

Class of 2012 statistics

39% of the graduating Senior class were active members in St. Augustine's National Honor Society. 50% of the Senior class graduated with Honors. 60% of the Senior class graduated DAP (Distinguished Achievement). A total of 9,000 service hours were completed collectively by the graduating class of 2012 and an average of 18 college hours were completed. In the Class of 2012 two students earned the prestigious distinction of being named National Hispanic Scholar and another student earned the Gates Millennium Award.

Notable alumni

• Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (Class of 1990) Emmy-nominated American film and television director, and director of the feature film Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (film).
• William Nericcio (Class of 1980) Director of the Master of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences program at San Diego State University, San Diego.
• Adrian Quesada (Class of 1995) Cofounder of Grammy Award winning, Austin-based Latin funk orchestra Grupo Fantasma (American band).
• Saul N. Ramirez, Jr. (Class of 1976) Mayor of Laredo from 1990-1997 and CEO of Washington interest group National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials.
• Kevin Patrick Yeary (Class of 1984), judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, based in San Antonio.

References

External links

• Saint Augustine High School