On September 20, 2012 the Cardinal Newman Society’s biennial list of the Top 50 Catholic high schools in the nation, was released to the public. Among the other prestigious schools across the nation, our very own Padua Academy was the only school from Delaware distinguished with this incredible honor. While nearly 1,300 schools were invited to apply for consideration, only the top 50 are noted on the Honor Roll for excellence in Catholic Education. Many factors were taken into consideration for this decision, but one indicator of Padua’s academic excellence was its growing enrollment in recent years. Board member Jeffrey Nelson, Executive Vice President for the Intercollegiate Studies Institute said, “Padua Academy is an educational treasure. Padua’s commitment to the highest quality academic experience has been rewarded by a more than 10% increase in enrollment over a three year period–and this during a period when many Catholic schools are sadly closing or restructuring.” Padua Academy has 615 students from Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland and the student body continues to grow. The rigorous academic curriculum includes honors classes in every subject, 14 Advanced Placement Courses, along with cutting edge technology courses including Cyber Security, IT Essentials, and Broadcasting. Padua has a 100% college acceptance rate and the class of 2012 was awarded 13.7 million in academic and athletic scholarships. This award is a testament to the hard work of students, faculty, and staff over recent years. The entire Padua community should feel proud to be a part of an institute of such academic excellence.