DePaul Catholic High School is a Catholic high school in Wayne, Passaic County, New Jersey, that operates under the auspices of the Diocese of Paterson.Passaic County Schools, Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson. Accessed September 6, 2017. It was founded in 1956 by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth.
The school is accredited by AdvancED and in the 2023–24 school year had an enrollment of 475 students.School data for De Paul Catholic High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed September 1, 2025.
History DePaul Catholic was established in 1956 by the Diocese of Paterson and the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth of Convent Station, New Jersey. While construction ensued on Alps Road in Wayne, New Jersey, the second floor of Holy Spirit Elementary School in Pequannock Township served as the campus of DePaul. Msgr John P. McHugh supervised the completion of the school. A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place in Wayne in late fall 1957 as DePaul Catholic welcomed its first 200 students.Mission, Vision, & History, DePaul Catholic High School. Accessed September 12, 2025. "DePaul Catholic High School was founded by the Diocese of Paterson and the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton of Convent Station, N.J., in 1956. While construction ensued on Alps Road in Wayne, the second floor of Holy Spirit Elementary School in Pequannock was the original home to DePaul Catholic High School. Director, Reverend Msgr. John P. McHugh supervised the completion of the building. The ribbon-cutting ceremony took place in late fall of 1957 as DePaul Catholic opened its doors to is first 200 students."
Academics The program of studies offered at DePaul Catholic High School seeks to equip college-bound students with a foundation for the pursuit of academic excellence while emphasizing a curriculum tailored to individual differences. Students learn to apply their knowledge and training toward the ongoing development of the Whole Person.
DePaul Catholic is a college preparatory high school offering advanced placement, honors, college prep, and foundations levels of study. In the Class of 2015, 98% of graduates are attending colleges and universities. Graduates in the Class of 2015 were awarded over $10.5 million in academic merit-based scholarships, and 99% of the graduates have gone on to colleges, universities, and technical schools.
All students and faculty use Tablet PC laptop computers/notebooks connected using a wireless Internet system.
Athletics The DePaul SpartansDePaul Catholic High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. competes in the Big North Conference, which consists of public and private high schools in Bergen and Passaic counties, and was established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. Before the NJSIAA's 2010 realignment, the school had competed in the Northern Hills Conference an athletic conference consisting of public and private high schools located in Essex, Morris and Passaic counties.Home Page, Northern Hills Conference, backed up by the Internet Archive as of January 28, 2011. Accessed November 25, 2014. With 381 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Non-Public A for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 381 to 1,454 students in that grade range (and the equivalent of Group I for public schools).NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020. The football team competes in the United White division of the North Jersey Super Football Conference, which includes 112 schools competing in 20 divisions, making it the nation's biggest football-only high school sports league.Cooper, Darren. "Here's what we know about the new Super Football Conference 2020 schedule", The Record, July 23, 2020. Accessed March 22, 2021. "The Super Football Conference (SFC) is a 112-team group, the largest high school football-only conference in America, and is comprised of teams from five different counties."Cooper, Darren. "NJ football: Super Football Conference revised schedules for 2020 regular season", The Record, July 23, 2020. Accessed March 22, 2021. "The Super Football Conference has 112 teams that will play across 20 divisions." The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Non-Public Group B (equivalent to Group I/II for public schools) for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 140 to 686 students.NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
There are over 20 varsity sports for boys and girls in the school. The athletic director is John McKenna . The mascot is the Spartan and the colors are green and white. The sports teams that are available include: Boys - baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, skiing, soccer, swimming, track and field, winter track, volleyball, wrestling; Girls - basketball, bowling, cheerleading (football), cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, skiing, swimming, track and field, volleyball, dance team, wrestling, flag football, and winter track. 23 varsity teams for boys and girls and 30 extracurricular activities are offered.
The school participates as the host school/lead agency for a joint cooperative skiing team with Morris Catholic High School. The co-op program operates under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year.NJSIAA Winter Cooperative Sports Programs, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.