Ridgewood Preparatory School


Ridgewood Preparatory School is a university-preparatory school located in Metairie, an unincorporated community in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.
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. 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 Ottis O. Stuckey as a college preparatory school for boys in grades kindergarten through twelve. The original address was 201 Northline in Old Metairie. The school became co-educational in 1952.
The campus was moved in 1972 to the present address at 201 Pasadena Avenue in Metairie, Louisiana. M.J. Montgomery Jr. 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.

Athletics

Ridgewood competes as a member of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association. 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.