Ravenscroft School

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 characteristics

Ravenscroft Private school Raleigh NC

Ravenscroft is an independent, co-educational college preparatory day school enrolling 1,207 students, pre-K through grade 12. The Lower School currently enrolls 444 students; the Middle School enrolls 304 students; the Upper School enrolls 459 students. Ravenscroft employs over 240 faculty and staff.

In 2011, 237 students wrote 485 AP exams with 91 percent of the scores being a "3" or better. The Class of 2011, with 102 students, achieved an SAT average of 1277 (Critical Reading and Math) or 1924 (Critical Reading, Math, and Writing).

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.

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.

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.

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 4A division.[1]

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

• Emmanuel Petrov, soccer player[2][3][4]
• Cameron Castleberry, professional women's soccer player
• Isaac Copeland, professional basketball player[5]
• Wesley Frazier, track and field runner[6]
• Anton Gill, professional basketball player[7]
• Nora Grossman, film producer
• Michael C. Hall, actor best known for his roles in Six Feet Under and Dexter
• Antwan Harris, NFL safety who won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots[8]
• Neal Hunt, Republican member of the North Carolina General Assembly from the 15th district
• Ryan Kelly, NBA player
• Armistead Maupin, author[9]
• Emily Procter, actress best known for her roles in CSI: Miami and The West Wing
• Hughes Winborne, Oscar-winning editor of Crash
• Smedes York, former mayor of the city of Raleigh, North Carolina

• Official website