Camden Catholic High School (CCHS) is a four-year comprehensive private coeducational Roman Catholic high school, located in the Philadelphia metropolitan area in Cherry Hill, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school operates under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden.Schools, South Jersey Catholic Schools. Accessed February 21, 2023. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1934.Camden Catholic High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed January 31, 2022. Camden Catholic students come from the local area and from Norway, Nigeria, Italy, Germany, Mexico, Vietnam, Korea, and China. Many of these students live on campus in the Nazareth House, a convent re-purposed to accommodate foreign students with full-time care-providers on staff, while others live with host families in the surrounding area.
As of the 2019–20 school year, the school had an enrollment of 695 students and 54.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.8:1. The school's student body was 63.5% (441) White, 13.5% (94) Hispanic, 11.1% (77) Black, 8.6% (60) Asian, 3.2% (22) two or more races and 0.1% (1) Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander.School data for Camden Catholic High School , National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed March 10, 2022.
History When the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was built in 1862, space was set aside for the first parochial school in the city of Camden, which became the origin of the current high school. In 1920, the existing elementary school program was extended to include a four-year, high school program graduating 15 girls and 6 boys in June 1921. Camden Catholic High School opened in 1924 with an enrollment of 400 students.
After a fire on April 17, 1960, destroyed two buildings at the Camden campus, a decision was made that a new school would be constructed on a site in Delaware Township (now Cherry Hill)."Long after the school closed, the building comes down", Catholic Star Herald, August 7, 2014. Accessed September 13, 2022. "Standing tall in Camden for more than 100 years, it took three days to tear it down.... After a 1960 fire destroyed two buildings that were part of Camden Catholic’s campus in Camden, the high school moved to its current location in Cherry Hill, and the former convent was leased as a women’s prison."
In the 2012–13 school year, Camden Catholic celebrated its 125th anniversary as a school.
Sports The Camden Catholic High School IrishCamden Catholic High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. participate in the Olympic Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools located in Burlington County and Camden County, and operates under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. With 504 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2022–24 school years as Non-Public Group A for most athletic competition purposes (equivalent to Group II for public schools).NJSIAA General Classifications - Public Schools 2022-2023 and 2023-2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022. The football team competes in the Constitution Division of the 94-team West Jersey Football League superconferenceCamden Catholic Fighting Irish, West Jersey Football League. Accessed May 1, 2023.Home Page, West Jersey Football League. Accessed May 1, 2023. "The WJFL is a 94-school super conference that stretches from Princeton to Wildwood encompassing schools from the Colonial Valley Conference, the Burlington County Scholastic League, the Olympic Conference, the Tri-County Conference, the Colonial Conference, and the Cape Atlantic League. The WJFL is made up of sixteen divisions with divisional alignments based on school size, geography and a strength-of-program component." and was classified by the NJSIAA as Non-Public Group B (equivalent to Group I/II for public schools) for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 140 to 686 students.NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
The school participates in a joint ice hockey team with Paul VI High School as the host school / lead agency. The co-op program operates under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year.NJSIAA Winter Cooperative Sports Programs, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
The boys basketball team won the Non-Public A state title in 1941 (vs. St. Patrick High School of Elizabeth), 1942 (vs. Saint Joseph of the Palisades High School), 2001 (vs. Seton Hall Preparatory School), 2003 (vs. Bergen Catholic High School) and 2010 (vs. St. Peter's Preparatory School of Jersey City).NJSIAA Boys Basketball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022. The 1941 team scored in the final seconds of the game to win the Group 2 (since recategorized as Non-Public A) state title with a 42–39 win against St. Patrick's in the championship game played at the Elizabeth Armory.via Associated Press. "Camden Grabs Group 2 Title", Asbury Park Press, March 23, 1941. Accessed March 1, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "In a wild finish, Camden Catholic nipped St. Patrick's of Elizabeth, 41-39, at the Elizabeth armory yesterday to win the Group 2 prep division of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association basketball tournament.... With 15 seconds to play, Frank Swak dribble in for a lay-up to clinch Camden's victory. McElroy's foul, with five seconds to go, was the last tally." The 2010 team won the Non-Public A state title with a 68–63 victory in the championship game against St. Peter's at the Ritacco Center"Irish take the state basketball championship", Catholic Star Herald, March 18, 2020. Accessed March 6, 2021. "All Irish eyes in Cherry Hill were on Camden Catholic High School on Sunday night, March 12, as the boys’ varsity basketball team defeated St. Peter’s Prep (Jersey City) 68-63 for the Non-Public A State championship at Ritacco Center in Toms River." and advanced into the Tournament of Champions as the top seed, defeating fourth seed Cherokee High School by a score of 47–34 in the semifinals before falling to number-two seed Trenton Catholic by 63–46 in the finals to finish the season with a record of 29–2.NJSIAA Boys Basketball Tournament of Champions History , New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.Narducci, Marc. "Camden Catholic boys fall to Trenton Catholic, 53-39", The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 23, 2010. Accessed March 6, 2021. "In tonight's Tournament of Champions final at the Izod Center, Trenton Catholic used an old but reliable element: grinding in-your-face man-to-man defense. Second-seeded Trenton Catholic contested every shot with great quickness and defensive anticipation to defeat Camden Catholic, 53-39 in earning its first TOC title.... Top-seeded Camden Catholic finished its season 29-2, adding the state Non-Public A championship to its trophy mantle along with The Inquirer's No. 1 ranking."
The boys track team won the Non-Public Group A spring / outdoor track state championship in 1957 and 1962.NJSIAA Spring Track Summary of Group Titles Boys, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022.
The boys' baseball team won the Non-Public A state championship in 1973, defeating Seton Hall Preparatory School in the tournament final.Baseball Championship History: 1959–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated June 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
The 1979 football team finished the season with a 9–2 record after winning the NJSIAA Non-Public A South state sectional title with a 20–7 victory against Holy Cross Preparatory Academy in the championship game, a turnaround from team's 0-9 record in 1978.NJSIAA Football History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2022.Smith, Paul. "Camden Cath. goes from 0-9 to regional title", The Philadelphia Inquirer, December 2, 1979. Accessed January 8, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Forget for the moment that Camden Catholic High's football team went 0-9 in 1978.... Camden Catholic forgot all phases of its past yesterday and remembered its 1979 byword confidence which carried it to a 20-7 victory over host Holy Cross and the South Jersey Parochial A championship. Two key reasons the Irish (9-2) were able to overcome a 7-6 halftime deficit were named Kondrla: Marty, who scored all three Camden Catholic touchdowns on runs of 1, 5 and 9 yards, and Matty, who led a Catholic defense that limited the Cross to 94 yards rushing and harassed the Lancers' excellent junior quarterback, Mike Donoghue, into a 5-for-19 passing day." The school has had a football rivalry since 1931 with Camden High School. Camden Catholic leads the series with an overall record of 35-29-2 through the 2017 season. NJ.com listed the rivalry as 28th on its 2017 list "Ranking the 31 fiercest rivalries in N.J. HS football"Stypulkoski, Matt. "Ranking the 31 fiercest rivalries in N.J. HS football" , NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, October 27, 2017, updated May 15, 2019. Accessed December 1, 2020. "25-Camden vs. Camden Catholic.. This is a local rivalry that started in 1931 between Camden and Camden Catholic, which is located in nearby Cherry Hill.... All-time series: Camden Catholic leads, 35-29-2"
The wrestling team won the Non-Public A South state sectional championship in 1980, 1994-2014 and 2018-2020. The team won the Non-Public A title in 1996, 1999-2002, 2004, 2005, 2007-2010 and won the Non-Public B title in 2011-2013, 2019, 2020 and 2023. The program's 17 state group championships are ranked third in the state.Wrestling Championship History: 1980–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated March 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
The girls' field hockey team won the South Jersey Group III state sectional championships in 1981, 1984 and 1985, won the South Jersey Group II title in 2001, 2002, 2007 and 2012, won the Central Jersey Group II title in 2011, and won the Non-Public South title in 2019, 2021 and 2022. The team won the Group III state championship in 1985 (defeating Cranford High School in the tournament final) and the Non-Public state title in 2022 and 2023 (vs. Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child both years).Field Hockey Championship History; 1971–2025, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated November 2025. Accessed December 1, 2025. In 2007, the field hockey team won the South Jersey, Group II state sectional championship with a 5–3 win over West Deptford High School in the tournament final.2007 Field Hockey - South, Group II, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 12, 2007. The team won the 2022 Non-Public state championship with a 2-1 win in the tournament final against Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child.Rimback, Tom. "No. 1 Camden Cath. outlasts No. 4 Oak Knoll for NJSIAA Non-Public field hockey title", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 12, 2022, updated November 12, 2022. Accessed November 7, 2023. "It was a long time coming but Olivia Bent-Cole and her Camden Catholic teammates finally stepped off the field at Bordentown with a trophy over their heads. The Irish — No. 1 in the NJ.com field hockey Top 20 —Beat No. 4 Oak Knoll 2-1 to win the NJSIAA Non-Public state championship. Camden Catholic last won a state championship in 1985."