Cape Christian Academy

Last updated

Southern Cape Christian School
Address
Cape Christian Academy
10 Oyster Road

Cape May Court House
,
Cape May County
,
New Jersey
08210

United States
Coordinates 39°03′23″N74°50′34″W / 39.05634°N 74.84275°W / 39.05634; -74.84275
Information
Type Christian school
Established1991
NCES School IDAA000218 [1]
AdministratorKatie Pierson [2]
Faculty9.1 FTEs [1]
Grades PreK-8
Enrollment59 (plus 27 in PreK, as of 2021–22) [1]
Student to teacher ratio6.5:1 [1]
Website www.southerncapechristianschool.com

Southern Cape Christian School (fomerly Cape Christian Academy) is a private Christian school serving students in preschool to eighth grade, located in Middle Township, in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It has a Cape May Court House postal address and is located within the Cape May Court House census-designated place. [3] Richard Degener of The Press of Atlantic City described it as being in Burleigh. Its campus has 6.5 acres (2.6 ha) of area. [4]

Contents

As of the 2021–22 school year, the school had an enrollment of 59 students (plus 27 in PreK) and 9.1 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 6.5:1. The school's student body was 71.2% (42) White, 3.4% (2) Black, 5.1% (3) Asian, 10.2% (6) Hispanic and 6.8% (4) two or more races, 3.4% (2) American Indian / Alaska Native and 0% (0) Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander. [1]

History

Southern Cape Christian School was established as Cape Christian Academy in 1991 as part of the merger of Cape May County Christian School (CMCCS) and South Cape Christian Academy. [5] [4] The former opened, initially with grades Kindergarten through 2, [6] either in 1976, [4] or in September 1977, with an initial enrollment of 45–50. Its founder was Betty Gillingham. [6] South Cape opened after CMCCS opened. [4] South Cape, at Covenant Bible Church, [7] was located in an area of Lower Township with a North Cape May postal address, though as of 2010 it was outside of the North Cape May CDP. [8] Robert Thomson (died 1988), who is considered to be another co-founder of Cape Christian, served on the board of directors of one of the predecessor schools. [9]

The initial enrollment was 300. Originally, the merged school used rented facilities. The Kindergarten through grade 3 and 8-12 buildings were rented from Faith Fellowship Chapel and were located in Middle Township. The K-3 building had a total of 10,000 square feet (930 m2) of area and also had offices. First Assembly of God Church in Lower Township housed some of the Kindergarten and first grade classes. Covenant Bible Church housed grades 4–7. By 1993 it had 380 students. [4]

In 1993, the school bought its current campus from Faith Fellowship Chapel. The purchase included the K-3 building, but not the 8-12 building. [4] By 1994, it had two campuses. The student count that year was almost 350. [6] In 1995, the student count was about 350, and it still had two campuses. [9]

In 2024, Cape Christian added a few more staff members, including a new teacher and a music teacher with an advanced degree (Master of Divinity) and several albums of original music JJ Beauvais. [10] In 2025, Cape Christian Academy appointed a new administrator who served as a lieutenant in the US Coast Guard. The school underwent a complete rebrand/redesign, which includes a slightly different name and also a new mascot. On August 1, 2025, Cape Christian Academy officially rebranded to Southern Cape Christian School.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 School data for Cape Christian Academy, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed November 1, 2023.
  2. ↑ , Southern Cape Christian School. Accessed August 1, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Home". Cape Christian Academy. Retrieved July 15, 2021. 10 Oyster Road Cape May Court House, NJ 08210 - See map of CDP from the 2010 U.S. Census - page 1 and page 2. In contrast it is across from but not in the Burleigh CDP: Seen here.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Degener, Richard (September 23, 1993). "Propertied Class / Cape Christian Academy Buys Land For Central Campus". The Press of Atlantic City . pp. C1 –C2. - Available from Newsbank, ID# news/0EAEAA6D18083359. Clipping of first and of second pages at Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Two schools offer Christian education in Middle", The Press of Atlantic City , April 18, 2013. Accessed December 15, 2023. "Cape Christian Academy formed in 1991 after the Cape May County School and the South Cape Christian Academy consolidated."
  6. 1 2 3 Eisenlohr, Scott (December 7, 1994). "Ripples / Banquet Honors Cape Christian Academy Founder Betty Gillingham". The Press of Atlantic City . p. C4. - Available from Newsbank, ID# 0F40403A2C026D7E. See clipping from Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Home". Covenant Presbyterian Church. July 16, 2021. 123 Fishing Creek Road North Cape May, NJ 08204-3735 - Compare with the school address.
  8. ↑ "Obituaries (Cape May, Cumberland & Ocean County Editions)". The Press of Atlantic City . November 3, 1989. p. C3. Donations may be made to the South Cape Christian Academy, 123 Fishing Creek Road, North Cape May[...] - Available on Newsbank, ID# F0EAEA80A5401A343. Compare to the address of the North Cape May CDP, 2010.
  9. 1 2 "With Honors / Cape May County". The Press of Atlantic City . December 8, 1995. p. C3. - On Newsbank, ID# F0EAEABE210C47DA6
  10. ↑ https://capemaycountyherald.com/article/christian-recording-artist-joins-cape-christian-academy-faculty/ - The school sponsored this article.
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