Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart (PASH) has served the surrounding community as an independent Catholic school for boys in junior kindergarten through 8th grade since the late 1990s. The school roots itself in the mission to develop young men with active and creative minds, a sense of understanding and compassion for others, and the courage to act on their beliefs.
These values directly mirror their commitment to an eduction rooted in the Sacred Heart tradition formed over 200 years ago by Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat. Five core principals drive this tradition forward: a personal and active faith in God; a deep respect for intellectual values; a social awareness which impels to action; the building of community as a Christian value; and personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom.
Not long ago, PASH announced it would be closing its doors. The announcement follows a trend experienced by Catholic schools across the United States; according to the National Catholic Educational Association’s 2025-26 report, 62 schools closed or consolidated following the past school year. However, a change of heart led the Board of Trustees and school administration to reconsider their decision and remain open.
While the announcement took a toll on the community, administration, the Board of Trustees, teachers, parents, and supporters refused to give up the heart that is at the center of this school. This shift tells a story of perseverance, renewal, and hope that is giving new life to the institution.
Two initiatives are piloting this new identity: the China-U.S. Youth Music & Cultural Exchange Program and the Forest Program. The exchange program allowed five students the chance to explore China through music and culture with Rebecca Kim, the school’s performing arts and music teacher. Throughout the twelve day exchange, students collaborated with Chinese peers through musical performances, cultural workshops, art, and historical experiences while traveling through Changzhou, Shanghai, Nanjing, and Beijing. A parent whose child participated in the program shared, [our son] “was a confident young man before the trip, but he came out […] with an even stronger sense of self that he knows he can push himself outside of his comfort zone and make great friends. What else can a parent ask for their child as they prepare to start their high school journey?” The experience reflects Princeton Academy’s mission of developing confident, compassionate, globally-engaged future leaders.
Additionally, Princeton Academy faculty and Ridgeview Conservancy Youth Stewards have spent the summer developing a Forest Program that will bring hands-on, nature-based learning into the school’s core curriculum. Students will use the forest as an outdoor classroom across subjects, gaining skills in science, math, English and social studies while exploring habitats, native species, survival skills and local history. PASH faculty member Christine Terranova has completed professional development through Rider University, The Watershed Institute and the New Jersey School of Conservation to prepare for the program, focusing on environmental science, data literacy, ecological systems and hands-on field investigations. The program also aims to strengthen students’ social-emotional wellness, collaboration, problem-solving and sense of environmental stewardship through daily, immersive experiences in nature that align with the school’s Sacred Heart values.
These programs intend to support the school’s focus on the whole child, creating an environment where boys feel confident and capable of taking on new challenges and exploring their passions, beyond grades and test scores, which administration feels is the key to their educational success. The International Boys’ Schools Coalition promotes that in engaging and supportive all-boys programs, “students explore their values and establish a foundation for making responsible decisions; they explore their own definition of self; who they are and who they want to become; they learn to forge healthy relationships; they step out of their comfort zone to explore their full potential.” As one student admitted to a family on tour, PASH allowed him the opportunity to explore his ‘authentic self’.
When considering a boys-only primary school education, leadership asserts three main points. First, schools for boys seek first to build good men. In addition to pursuing high academic achievement, schools for boys share many broad goals: to promote well-being, to develop resilience and empathy, and to see that each student achieves his potential. But none is more important than the essential goal of building good character and, by extension, of helping each boy and young man make responsible choices and live an honorable life.
Secondly, schools for boys help students discover and explore their full potential. Without the social pressures of a co-ed environment, students in an all-boys school can explore the full range of their personalities and potential. Navigating school outside of stereotypes, they discover they have many roles to play as a scholar, athlete, artist, musician, and friend.
Lastly, schools for boys foster brotherhood and lifelong friendships. Working together in the classroom, on the playing field, or in the performance hall, students are united by a special bond of brotherhood. Many boys’ school graduates say the friendships they developed with their peers and with faculty are among the most important benefits they carry with them from their schools. Students from Princeton Academy often move onto some of the most selective secondary schools in the United States, including The Hotchkiss School, The Lawrenceville School, and Phillips Academy Andover, creating an interconnected web of brotherhood, with its heart at 1128 Great Road.
In a time when stories surrounding the state of public and private education may sometimes look bleak, PASH’s decision to remain open sheds light on the possibilities available to creating students that are global citizens focused on intellectual and social values.
For more information on the Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart, please visit their website www.princetonacademy.org or contact Lorna Cole Durish at admissions@princetonacademy.org.
