Largest School in the Brooklyn Diocese
Salve Regina Catholic Academy, a co-educational Catholic grammar school in East New York, opened its doors on Jerome St. in September, 2011, in place of three other local Catholic schools in the area that were closing – St. Rita’s, St. Michael’s and St. Sylvester’s. Local nursery school through eighth grade students from all three schools are now under one roof.
Over the past year and a half, the school has blossomed and grown into a strong community of students, educators and active, involved parents.
Salve Regina is the largest school in the Diocese of Brooklyn with around 700 students. Its main focus is providing a Catholic, faith-based education to as many students as it can, regardless of their ability to pay, in an effort to afford parents who want their child to have a Catholic education the opportunity to provide one, says Principal William Geasor. The mission of the school is to ensure that each child in its care has a high quality education in a loving, caring and structured environment incorporating God’s influence with the learning experience. With this in mind, Salve Regina stresses the total development of each child – emotionally, physically, socially, intellectually and most importantly, spiritually – to instill self-confidence and ensure all its students are up to meeting the challenges of the 21st century.
Salve Regina Catholic Academy adheres to an academic curriculum approved by both the state and diocese. It offers a supervised morning program starting at 7 a.m. and a low-cost extended hours program until 6 p.m.
As they transitioned from three schools to one, Salve Regina tried to incorporate special programs from each of its predecessors into its extracurricular activities, including Robotics, Cub Scouts and an Advanced Placement program. The academy also has Title I reading, math, ESL and guidance programs and offers summer school for grades kindergarten through eight.
Salve Regina offers extensive services for students with special educational needs, including remediation, supplemental instruction and occupational- and speech-therapy services.