Ridgewood Preparatory School

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Ridgewood Preparatory School
Address
201 Pasadena Ave Metairie , LA 70001 U.S.
Information
Type	Private, college preparatory
Established	1948
Headmaster	M. J. Montgomery Jr.
Faculty	35
Gender	Coeducational
Enrollment	270
Average class size	16 students
Student to teacher ratio	8:1
Campus	Suburban, 4 buildings
Color(s)	Blue & Gold
Slogan	Once an Eagle, Always an Eagle
Athletics conference	LHSAA 1A
Sports	8 sports
Mascot	Golden Eagle
Website	www.ridgewoodprep.com

Ridgewood Preparatory School is a university-preparatory school located in Metairie, an unincorporated community in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. It includes grades PreK-12.^[1]

Ridgewood is approved by the State Department of Education and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Ridgewood's diverse student body comes from six parishes as well as from countries around the world. Fifteen percent of students are foreign citizens coming from nations as far-ranging as Argentina, Nigeria, Norway, Japan, Vietnam and Egypt.^[2] The school is organized as a primary, middle, and high school. The academic year consists of two semesters, each divided into three six-week grading periods. The school is operated as a non-profit corporation aided by an advisory board.

History[]

Ridgewood Preparatory School was founded in 1948 by as a college preparatory school for boys in grades kindergarten through twelve. The original address was 201 Northline in . The school became co-educational in 1952.

The campus was moved in 1972 to the present address at 201 Pasadena Avenue in Metairie, Louisiana. is the current headmaster.

Hurricane Katrina[]

Ridgewood is part of the Greater New Orleans Metro area, and thus felt some effects of Hurricane Katrina. The school did not flood. It was one of the first schools in the New Orleans Metro Area to re-open following the storm, opening on September 26, 2005.^[3]

Athletics[]

Ridgewood competes as a member of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA). Students compete in football, baseball, softball, basketball, track, tennis, volleyball, and soccer. The Ridgewood extracurricular sports program begins in middle school, with a soccer program available for children in grades 5-8. Junior varsity participation in volleyball, basketball, softball, and baseball usually begins at the eighth grade level. Students are not restricted from joining one sport by participation in another sport, other than by seasonal and scheduling constraints. Ridgewood follows the LHSAA guidelines regarding student academic requirements for participation: a student must have a minimum GPA of 1.5 and passing grades in 5 out of 6 subjects.

Controversies[]

Settlement with the Justice Department[]

On July 30, 2020 The Justice Department reached a settlement agreement with Ridgewood. Ridgewood Preparatory School violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by denying a child with spina bifida admission to its pre-kindergarten and kindergarten class because of his disability and it failed to change its policies, practices, and procedures to enable the child to access the school’s programs, it also failed^[4] to ensure that its buildings and facilities are accessible to people with disabilities. The Department of Justice investigated and found that the school, among lots of other things, had inaccessible doors, walkways, and bathrooms. Under the agreement, Ridgewood had to offer the child two years of tuition- free enrollment and, upon enrollment, provide him with reasonable modifications.

Unsafe school tires[]

A FOX 8 investigation revealed that there are three tires on a school bus that are almost 15 years old. The bus takes students on field trips and the football team to games. The Tire Safety Group says that schools should remove all front bus tires after six years but under no scenario should a tire be on a bus longer than 10. The headmaster, M.J. Montgomery, Jr, wouldn't speak to FOX 8 on camera. He invited them into his office but said that their entire discussion was off the record. The only thing that they were allowed to say is that he has no comment on the issue.^[5]

References[]

External links[]

• Ridgewood Prep website
• RPS Alumni website