Father Lopez Catholic High School is a private

Private school

Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...

, Roman Catholic high school

High school

High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

 in Daytona Beach, Florida

Daytona Beach, Florida

Daytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, USA. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city has a population of 64,211. Daytona Beach is a principal city of the Deltona – Daytona Beach – Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which the census bureau estimated had...

. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orlando

Roman Catholic Diocese of Orlando

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orlando is a Roman Catholic diocese in Florida. It was established on June 18, 1968. Prior to that the Central Florida area was part of the Diocese of St. Augustine. Today the diocese encompasses nine counties including Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Marion, Lake,...

. 265 students are enrolled.

History

Father Lopez Catholic High School was established in 1959 to meet the growing need for a central Catholic high school in the Daytona area. The school replaced several parish schools, including St. Paul Parish School, which was established in 1924 as the first Catholic high school in the area. It was built by the Diocese of St. Augustine at 960 Madison Avenue. The school was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is one of the six regional accreditation organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation...

.

In 1968 the school was transferred to the administration of the Diocese of Orlando.

In 2001 the school paid $1.17 million for 2 acre (0.809372 ha) of land and two buildings as the first step in a planned $3 million expansion and renovation project.

In 2004 Bishop Thomas Wenski

Thomas Wenski

Thomas Gerard Wenski is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is currently Archbishop of Miami, having been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI on April 20, 2010 and installed on June 1, 2010...

 signed a $2 million-plus agreement for the Orlando Diocese to buy 80 acres (32.4 ha) on LPGA Boulevard for a replacement campus. The Diocese sold the approximately 15 acres (6.1 ha) old campus to help pay for the new school.

In 2005 Wenski supplied $1.5 million of diocesan funds for the new school. The school raised $10 million.

A new school was constructed in 2008 in Daytona, about 3 miles (4.8 km) from its previous location. The campus will have softball, baseball fields, and tennis courts in the next 10 years. Currently, it has a main football field with a new track, and practice fields.

Student body

The enrollment for 2011-2012 is about 400 students. Senior class is about 69 students. 9 Advanced Placement (AP) courses are offered. 68.4% passed AP courses in 2010; Florida average was 42.9%. Class of 2009 mean SAT

SAT

The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...

 score was 1549; average Florida score was 1475. ACT

ACT

ACT may refer to:* Australian Capital Territory, the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia* ACT , a college placement exam in the United StatesIn aviation:...

 composite mean score was 21.9; Florida mean score was 19.5. 64% of the class of 2009 enrolled in the Bright Futures Scholarship Program

Bright Futures Scholarship Program

Bright Futures is the name of a scholarship program in the state of Florida. It is funded by the Florida Lottery and was first started in 1997.-Program:...

.

Campus

The campus, new in 2008, cost $30 million. The 100 seat chapel was constructed in the Spanish style. The stadium seats 1200.

There is a double gym that holds 740 people. There are over 24 computers for public use, 24 computers for classes, and a television production room with a screen and news casting equipment. The cafeteria-auditorium holds 740 with a "murphy bed

Murphy bed

A Murphy Bed , also called a wall bed, pull down bed or fold-down bed is a bed that is hinged at one end to store vertically against the wall, or inside a closet or cabinet. To achieve this, the mattress is attached to the bed frame, often with elastic straps. Mulrphy beds are used for space-saving...

" fold up stage. The area also doubles as a dance studio. An "in-house" chef caters continuous events.

Recognition

• The mens Varsity Basketball Team was undefeated in 2009. The girls varsity basketball team were State champs 2004-2005. The Father Lopez Dancing Green Waves were National Champions Prop '97, '99,' 00, '02, '03, '06 , '07 , '08, '09, '10 as well as National champions Pom '08.

Recognition

The National Catholic Educational Association

National Catholic Educational Association

The National Catholic Educational Association is a private professional educational association of over 200,000 educators in Catholic schools, universities, and religious education programs...

recognized the school board as "outstanding" in 2008, the only board to be so recognized.