
JAMAICA ESTATES — Naomi Goya, a senior at The Mary Louis Academy (TMLA), said the courses she is taking at her school are “rigorous, but in a good way,” and are putting her on a solid path toward graduation in June.
“They’re preparing me for college in the sense that I can handle certain courses now,” explained Naomi, president of TMLA’s Student Council. “So, when I go to college, it’s not like I’m going to be surprised by anything because I’m already having to develop these skills with the honors courses or AP courses that I’m taking.”
To earn a diploma, Naomi and her fellow TMLA seniors took four years of math and science courses and a three-year world languages sequence as part of their regular course load. They also had to perform at least 75 hours of community service.
In addition, the students must take and pass New York State Regents exams in several subject areas.
TMLA President Livia Angiolillo and Principal Loriann Murphy said they have no plans to change the graduation requirements.
“We’ve kept our standards much higher than what the state requires, and we’re comfortable with that because it produces good results,” said Murphy, noting that TMLA has a 100% graduation rate.
Deacon Kevin McCormack, who noted that most of the 15 Catholic high schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn have graduation rates above 95%, said he doesn’t foresee any changes in diploma requirements.
“Why mess with success? Our high schools are based on a college preparatory program. Every one of our schools has kids going on to the highest levels of education,” he said. “Most of our kids, close to 100%, are getting into the colleges of their choice, and they’re generating hundreds of millions of dollars of scholarships.”
By contrast, the New York State Board of Regents recently approved a plan to significantly alter the criteria for earning public high school diplomas beginning with the 2027-2028 school year.
Current public school students must pass Regents exams in four subjects: English, math, science, and social studies. Under the new rules, they will still be required to take the Regents exams in English, math, and science, but they won’t have to pass them.
Rather than focus on grades as a measure of academic success, the state is also moving to a different model in which students can demonstrate their proficiency in other ways, such as internships, capstone projects, and community service.
In addition, students will have to show proficiency in seven areas — critical thinking, innovative problem solving, literacy, effective communication, cultural competence, social-emotional competence, and status as a “global citizen.”
Back at TMLA, the administration is happy with their graduation requirements because they are built on a foundation of academic excellence. “We expect the best from our students, and then we give them the tools they will need to succeed,” Murphy said.
Angiolillo added that the fact that TLMA is a Catholic high school that offers a faith-based education is a major reason for its success.
“Religion is a course of study that overlaps with literature. It overlaps with history. It overlaps with science,” she explained. “So, from a geopolitical modern lens, we really push students to think about what religion means today.”.
Naomi, who hasn’t selected a college yet but is eyeing a career as an environmental engineer, said there’s another factor — the educators.
“I feel like the teachers we have know that each and every one of the students are capable of pretty much any academic challenge,” she said. “So you might encounter an essay that makes you feel, ‘Oh, I don’t really know if I can do this.’ But with the skills you develop within your classes, you actually end up doing a lot better than you thought you would.”