Sussex County Catholic schools earn national academic and faith-based honors

Two schools Sussex County Catholic schools have received national recognition for academic achievement and faith-based education, highlighting student success across multiple grade levels.

Pope John XXIII Regional High School earned Gold Standard recognition on the 2025 Advanced Placement School Honor Roll, placing the Sparta-based school among the top 12% of eligible high schools in the United States and Canada. The College Board annually recognizes more than 4,500 schools — about 30% of eligible institutions — for expanding access to Advanced Placement coursework while maintaining strong student outcomes.

During 2025, Pope John students completed 663 AP exams, with 85% earning scores of 3 or higher, a benchmark commonly associated with college-level achievement. A total of 123 students were named AP Scholars, an honor recognizing outstanding performance across multiple exams. The group included 54 AP Scholars, 21 AP Scholars with Honors and 48 AP Scholars with Distinction, with nearly half of participating students earning scholar recognition.

“We are incredibly proud to receive Gold Standard recognition,” said Austin Braun, director of communications for the Catholic Academy of Sussex County. “The success of our students on their AP exams is a testament to their hard work and the dedication of our faculty who support them.”

Meanwhile, Reverend George A. Brown Memorial School in Sparta was named a 2026 Top Catholic School by Education Insider, a publication that covers education from K-12 through higher education. The honor recognizes institutions that excel academically while promoting spiritual growth and leadership.

Reverend Brown Memorial School serves students from pre-kindergarten through fourth grade, a stage principal Patricia Klebez described as critical for academic and personal development.

“It is a tremendous privilege to be named among Education Insider’s Top Catholic Schools for 2026,” Klebez said. “We are always working to be like Jesus — to live like Him, to act like Him — and to understand that though we are imperfect, every day we can try to be better than the day before.”

Education Insider cited the school’s commitment to nurturing the whole child academically, spiritually, socially, emotionally and physically, noting that faith-centered learning is reflected throughout classrooms and school relationships.