Ravenscroft School

Ravenscroft School
Ravenscroft Tower
Location
7409 Falls of Neuse Road
Raleigh, North Carolina 27615
United States
Coordinates 35°53′03.00″N 78°37′47.74″W / 35.8841667°N 78.6299278°W / 35.8841667; -78.6299278Coordinates: 35°53′03.00″N 78°37′47.74″W / 35.8841667°N 78.6299278°W / 35.8841667; -78.6299278
Information
Type Private
Founded 1862
Head of school Doreen C. Kelly
Staff 240 staff
Faculty 146 faculties
Grades K-12
Number of students 1,225 students
Campus Suburban, 125 acres of land
Color(s) Green and Gold          
Nickname Ravens
Accreditation SACS, SAIS
Tuition $22,650 (grades 6–12)
$19,865 (grades 1-5)
Affiliations NAIS, NCAIS, JRPO
Website www.ravenscroft.org
View of the Lower School library.

Ravenscroft School is a coed independent school located in Raleigh, North Carolina, enrolling students from pre-school through grade 12. Founded in 1862, the school has three divisions: Lower School, Middle School, and Upper School; serving a total enrollment of roughly 1200 students.

History

[1] Ravenscroft is named for John Stark Ravenscroft, the first Episcopal bishop of North Carolina and first rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. The idea of a parish school for Christ Episcopal Church was born when Josiah Ogden Watson bequeathed $5,000 to the church to employ a teacher for a new parish school in 1852. His silent bequest became known in 1862, and the church began the process of opening a new school – Ravenscroft School. Founded in 1862, Ravenscroft continued under the auspices of Christ Episcopal Church until 1966 when it became non-sectarian. Housed in locations such as Raleigh's Christ Church, St. Saviour's Chapel and on Tucker Street, Ravenscroft moved to its current location in 1969 with plans to expand to include a high school. At the same time, in 1969, Ravenscroft graduated the last 8th grade class from the Tucker Street. In 1971, the dedication of the Middle School and Upper School took place and, in 1973, Ravenscroft School graduated its first class of seniors.

School facts

There are three school divisions, each with their own facilities on campus:

  • Lower School - Pre-K through 5th grade, enrolls approximately 400 students
  • Middle School – 6th through 8th grade, enrolls approximately 315 students
  • Upper School - 9th through 12th grade, enrolls approximately 450 students

Accreditation

Ravenscroft is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and School (SACS) and the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS). Ravenscroft was named a Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education in 2003.

School memberships

Ravenscroft is a member of the National and North Carolina Association of Independent Schools, Joint Research Project Organization (JRPO), as well as a number of other professional organizations.

School characteristics

Ravenscroft Private school Raleigh NC

Ravenscroft is an independent, co-educational college preparatory day school enrolling 1,207 students, pre-Kindergarten through grade 12. The Lower School currently enrolls 444 students; the Middle School enrolls 304 students; the Upper School enrolls 459 students.

Organization and administration

Ravenscroft is a non-profit organization composed of three educational divisions and many departments that are led and administered by the Head of School, Doreen C. Kelly.

  • Assistant Head of School for Academics – Colleen Ramsden
  • Assistant Head of School for Student Affairs – Susan Perry
  • Assistant Head of School for Institutional Advancement – Phil Higginson
  • Chief Financial Officer – Leonard Johnson
  • Chief Information Officer – Jason Ramsden
  • Director of Fine Arts – David McChesney
  • Director of Athletics – Ned Gonet

The three educational divisions are each led by individual directors:

  • Head of Lower School (Pre-K to 5th) – Payton Hobbs
  • Head of Middle School (6th to 8th) – Denise Colpitts
  • Head of Upper School (9th – 12th) – Peter Bogue

Faculty

Ravenscroft employs over 240 faculty and staff. More than half of the faculty hold advanced degrees. Each school division (Lower School, Middle School and Upper School) has its own guidance counselor. A full-time nurse is available on campus during school hours in the medical office, a building that contains treatment and patient rooms.

Tuition

Pre-Kindergarten (8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.): $9,940 Pre-Kindergarten Plus (8:00 a.m. - 3 p.m.): $10,940; Kindergarten (8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.): $13,950; Grades 1: $19,100; Grades 2 through 5: $19,865; Grades 6 through 12: $22,650.

Academics

Typically, 100 percent of Ravenscroft graduates pursue their education beyond the secondary level. In 2011, 237 students wrote 485 AP exams with 91 percent of the scores being a "3" or better. Ravenscroft offers 24 AP classes in its curriculum. The Class of 2011 with 102 students achieved an SAT average of 1277 (Critical Reading and Math) or 1924 (Critical Reading, Math, and Writing).

STEM+ offerings including technology, programming, engineering, sciences as well as choices in fine arts for students of all ages, starting in prekindergarten.

Elementary School / Lower School

The elementary school (referred to as the Lower School) has approximately 400 students ranging in grades from prekindergarten to 5th grade.

Middle School

The Middle School at Ravenscroft serves approximately 300 students in grades 6th through 8th.

The Middle School operates on an 8 day cycle, during which each course meets 6 times with a long session.

The 8th grade includes a capstone experience, Ravens in Action, which is a culminating event focused on student service.

High School / Upper School

The high school (referred to as the Upper School) has over 450 students and offers an extensive range of required and elective courses. The offerings include 33 Honors courses, and 24 AP courses for which college credit may be earned. In 2015, 227 students took 490 AP exams. 72% of the exams scored a 4 or a 5 and 89% earned a 3, 4 or 5. The Upper School operates on an 8 day cycle, during which each course meets 6 times. Each student has a study hall built into their schedule.

Fine arts

Arts education includes Band, Choir, Drama, Strings, Visual Arts, Photography, Lower School Ensembles and Group Violin, as well as private lessons made available to students of all ages. Facilities include the 454-seat theatre and a 180-seat "black-box" young people's theatre, as well as numerous studios and practice rooms.

Athletics

Ravenscroft School football field and track

Ravenscroft's Athletic department offers 25 sports (boys and girls), and fields 53 teams in those sports at the Middle School, junior varsity and varsity levels. More than 80 percent of Ravenscroft students in grades 7-12 participate in school-sponsored athletics. The school mascot is a Raven named Edgar, after Edgar Allan Poe's poem The Raven.

Facilities include: Aquatic Center with 6 lanes and upper deck viewing, 4 gyms, fitness and weight training facility, 3 lighted stadiums, 6 lighted tennis courts, 8-lane rubberized track, 2 wrestling rooms.

Ravenscroft is a member of the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA) and competes in the highly competitive 3A division.

State Championship Titles:

2016 NCISAA Girls' Swimming State Champions (4th time in a row)

2016 NCISAA Boys Lacrosse State Champions

2015 NCISAA Football State Champions

2012 NCISAA Boys Basketball State Champions

2013 NCISAA Girls Lacrosse State Champions

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ http://www.ravenscroft.org
  2. ↑ Maupin, Armistead (2017). Logical Family: A Memoir. London, U.K.: Penguin. p. 17. ISBN 9780857523518. Since I was born in Washington, D.C., while Daddy was skippering a minesweeper in the Pacific, some of the kids at Ravenscroft School said that made me a Yankee.
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