Christopher Columbus High School (Miami-Dade County, Florida)

25°44′30″N 80°20′19″W﻿ / ﻿25.74164°N 80.338621°W﻿ / 25.74164; -80.338621
Christopher Columbus High School is a private Catholic college-preparatory high school conducted by the Marist Brothers in the Westchester area of Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was established in 1958 and transferred to the Marist Brothers in 1959. The school has over 100 teachers, administrators, faculty, staff, with an enrollment of 1,700 students. It was selected, for the fourth time in a row, as one of the top 50 Catholic high schools in the United States by the Catholic High School Honor Roll in 2008.
In 1958, Christopher Columbus High School was built in an area that was then surrounded by Everglades swampland. The school was established by the Diocese of Miami at the request of the Archbishop of Miami Coleman F. Carroll to continue the secondary education program at St. Theresa Catholic School in Coral Gables.
The school opened with two and a half buildings and an enrollment of approximately 150 students. The Marist Brothers assumed the direction of the school in 1959. Presently the Columbus campus extends over 24 acres. In addition to the four major academic buildings, there is the Abraham Science Building, the Lawrence-Bell Media Center, the Howard Korth Music and Athletic Center, and the Mas Technology Complex. Athletic facilities include varsity athletic fields, a baseball complex, outdoor basketball courts, tennis courts, a gymnasium, track, and weight room.
In May 2018, Columbus High School made national headlines after controversy centered around the display of a live caged tiger during the school's "jungle-themed" prom. Videos and images captured the tiger pacing in a metal enclosure. The school's principal David Pugh expressed regret for the school administration decision to allow the use of animal entertainment, stating that it did not reflect the school's Catholic values.
Today, Columbus has an enrollment of approximately 1,800 students and over 15,000 alumni.
Columbus' rival school is the only other all-male, Roman Catholic school in Miami-Dade County, Belen Jesuit Preparatory School. The two schools' rivalry is often limited to athletics (though Columbus competes on the more competitive level across all sports), the rivalry often extends beyond sports and into local politics and culture.
In order to graduate, students require twenty-four credits and a grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0. They must also complete one hundred hours of community service by the end of their senior year, 80 of which must be Direct, and 20 must be indirect. The academics at Columbus are based on a phasing system: “College Preparatory” classes are for the academically challenged who require more time to absorb a given subject, “Accelerated” classes are for the average student, An “Honours Class” is for the academically gifted, and Phase 5 refers to Advanced Placement (AP) classes, which have a college-level format and where academically motivated students have the opportunity to gain college credit should they earn the proper score on the AP exam. Depending on a given phase of a class, a student will earn a certain number of points, which are then weighted and averaged to generate a student's GPA, the average GPA being a 3.2.
Columbus has more students taking AP classes than any other Catholic school in Miami-Dade County and their passing averages on AP exams are five times higher than the state and national averages.
Dual-enrollment classes are offered through St Thomas University, Barry University and Florida International University.
The students are 84% Hispanic, 13% White, 2% African-American, and 1% combination of Asian/Pacific Islander and Native American/Alaskan. The student-teacher ratio at Christopher Columbus High School is about 15:1. The professional staff includes 17 Marist Brothers, 100 laypersons; 2 librarians/media specialists and 9 counselors/advisors; 45% hold an advanced degree; 60% have over 20 years of teaching experience, and half have been with the school well over 15 years. Many Marist Brothers hold positions at Columbus including president, guidance counselors, career and college advisors, and teachers.
Although the school is an all-boy institution, the social formation of the students includes girls from neighboring co-ed St. Brendan High School in after-school clubs. Our Lady of Lourdes Academy, the Catholic all-girls sister school to Columbus, handles the cheerleading for the Columbus sports teams. Christopher Columbus High School also plays host to both Homecoming and Prom events each year for their students and their dates.
Columbus is one of the most awarded broadcast journalism programs in the country (CCNN Live). They are four time Student Television Network National Crazy 8 champions. (2015, 2016, 2019, 2023) They have also been recognized by the National Scholastic Press Association, Florida Scholastic Press Association, and National Federation of High School (NFHS). They have won 85 Suncoast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Student Production Awards (Emmys) and 15 National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences National Awards.
A member of the Florida High School Activities Association and the Greater Miami Athletic Conference, Columbus is the only private school in the state of Florida to compete at the 8A level.
At Columbus, students also compete in non GMAC clubs such as: Roller Hockey, Fishing, Scuba Diving, and Personal Fitness. Varsity level sports offered are: baseball, basketball, football, volleyball, hockey, soccer, bowling, cross country, golf, lacrosse, swimming, diving, tennis, track and field, water polo and wrestling.
Junior varsity level sports include: baseball, basketball, football, volleyball, hockey, soccer, wrestling and lacrosse. Freshman level sports offered are: baseball, basketball, football and volleyball.
In 2009, Christopher Columbus High School won the Dodge Sunshine Cup All-Sports Award for boys' athletics programs in Class 6A.
Additionally, Columbus won the Miami Herald's All-Dade Boys' Major Sports Award in 2008 and 2009.
Current head football coach Dave Dunn (American football) has led the team to two straight championships and former head football coach Chris Merritt (American football) was part of Team USA's coaching staff for the International Federation of American Football Junior World Championship in 2009. One player from Columbus competed on the team, which won the tournament.
Christopher Columbus' baseball program was ranked the number one baseball team in America during the 2009-2010 year. Currently, Columbus competes at the 8A division.
Media related to Christopher Columbus High School at Wikimedia Commons