Academy of the Holy Angels

Established by the School Sisters of Notre Dame in 1879, Holy Angels is the oldest private school in Bergen County. An independent college preparatory school for young women, the Academy was originally located in Fort Lee, New Jersey. In 1965, AHA moved to a 24-acre campus in Demarest, New Jersey – just ten miles from New York City. The present student body comes from 96 cities and towns in New Jersey and New York. Holy Angels welcomes students from many different communities, ethnic backgrounds and religious affiliations.

At AHA, the curriculum, the arts and athletics programs, the extra-curricular activities, and even the facilities, are planned with one goal in mind: enabling each and every student to reach the fullness of her potential, so she in turn may share her gifts with others. In their 4 years at the Academy, students are immersed in a global curriculum, and have countless opportunities to pair their academic work with service endeavors that complement one another. Some, even uncovering possible career paths. Holy Angels students do not wait for a better world; they attempt to create it.

Holy Angels prepares its students to solve problems as old as building bridges and as new as nano science. The demanding standards for critical thinking, collaborative effort and creativity built into a Holy Angels education result in graduates who have the confidence, persistence and mindset to make the world a better place.

Generations of young women at AHA have pursued STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) careers, before that acronym became fashionable. Once a student begins her AHA journey, the Administration and Faculty devote all of their energies to making her be the best that she can be. They provide and sustain an environment where equal importance is placed on academic excellence, character development, moral integrity, and giving service to others.

At Holy Angels, our young women are living their faith both through the formation they receive in their classes and the community service they give to others. An alumna described Holy Angels as a place where she discovered that “God has plans for our lives that are greater than we can ever imagine.” The accomplishments of our recent graduates certainly reflect her words. The Class of 2018 contributed 22,000 hours of service during their four years at AHA and earned more than 13 million dollars in scholarships. Our graduates consistently earn acceptance at our nation’s top tier colleges and universities. Women leaders begin here.

The coming year promises to be an exciting one for us as we embark on phase two of our “Legacy of Excellence” campaign to renovate our school auditorium and music wing. These updates and enhancements to our facilities will provide interdisciplinary space to serve all our students and allow for expansion of our performing arts programs.

Holy Angels offers a safe environment where girls feel free to be themselves while they navigate through their high school years. During their tenure at Holy Angels, girls build self-confidence as they occupy roles at every level in their clubs, sports and activities. Girls feel freer to live according to their true selves in our single sex environment. Most importantly, our students find their voice and learn how to use it most effectively.

Our academics are cutting edge and offer tangible and practical learning experiences for today’s business climate. For example, students can take AP economics, art, music, engineering and ethics classes that balance a classic STEM education. We are proud to announce that we are now offering a business track program that affords students experience in the areas of finance, marketing, accounting and business in addition to a mandatory field experience during the junior year that gives students hands on experience in their chosen business field. Overall, Holy Angels is known for academic rigor and our graduates repeatedly share with us how well prepared they are not only for college, but for the challenging careers they pursue after college.

The Academy's rigorous course of study prepares young women for successful college careers. Course criteria, goals and objectives and qualifying exams ensure proper placement of students in the College Preparatory, Honors and High Honors courses each year. A wide variety of elective courses complement a solid foundation of required courses. Every effort is made to place each student in courses best suited for her.Whether her future lies in mathematics and science or humanities and the arts, Holy Angels' 8-day modified block schedule gives each Angel the opportunity to explore her intellectual interests.