Montfort Academy Named Most Diverse Private School In Westchester

Press release from The Montfort Academy:

November 30, 2020

Mount Vernon, NY (November 30, 2020) — The Montfort Academy has been named the most diverse private school in Westchester County and one of the most diverse private schools in New York.

Niche.com ranked The Montfort Academy #15 on its 2021 Most Diverse Private High Schools in New York list, the highest ranking for a Westchester County school. Niche.com also gave The Montfort Academy an A rating overall, with an A rating in college guidance.

Diversity can be a challenge for private schools because some minority families can’t afford their tuitions. The Montfort Academy, a 9-12 high school, uses creative approaches to financial aid and it focuses on a classical Catholic education to attract diverse families.

“Unlike many private schools, Montfort does not intentionally seek a diverse student body. It just happens, naturally; and we are proud of this,” said Richard Greco, Jr., the school’s president. “Truth is attractive, and I believe that families see Truth in Montfort. That Truth is manifest in kindness among our student body, which is very welcoming to all potential students when they shadow, no matter their background.”

Out of 140 students, the school counts 42 ethnicities and more than half the student body is Black or Hispanic. About a quarter of the student body lives in Mount Vernon.

“I love the small class size and the diversity of children. The classical teaching gives the children a better understanding of what it is they are being taught,” said a parent who responded to the 2019 parent survey.

Families are drawn to The Montfort Academy for many reasons, particularly the school’s focus on tradition. Students learn Latin and ancient Greek and they study the works of Aristotle, Plato, St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas.

The Montfort Academy has revived subjects that have disappeared from today's classrooms—astronomy, international relations, civics and logic. The school teaches in the Socratic method—the same method used by many law and medical schools—and it focuses on character development.

The Montfort Academy’s teaching method has allowed the school to have a 100% college admissions rate throughout its almost 20-year history.

Size is a factor for many families because The Montfort Academy has a student-teacher ratio of 7 to 1, the smallest ratio in the Archdiocese of New York. The school also provides more than $600,000 annually in financial aid to its students.

The Montfort Academy is more integrated than some of its closest public high school neighbors. According to New York State education data for 2018-19, Mount Vernon High School was 95% Black and Hispanic. State data for that year showed that Bronxville High School was 84% white.

The Montfort Academy is easily accessible by public transportation. The school offers shuttle service from the Yonkers, Fleetwood and Mount Vernon East Metro-North stations. The Westchester Bee-line’s routes #40 and #52 have stops near the school. For drivers, the school is conveniently located near exits on the Cross County, Bronx and Hutchinson River parkways.

This press release was produced by The Montfort Academy. The views expressed here are the author's own.