Delbarton School
Delbarton School is a private, all-male Catholic college-preparatory school in Morristown, New Jersey, serving students in seventh through twelfth grades. It is independently directed by the Benedictine monks of St. Mary's Abbey in Morristown and is located in the Diocese of Paterson.
As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 646 students and 83.4 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 7.7:1. Delbarton's student body comprises students from more than eight New Jersey counties and 100 communities.
Delbarton is a member of the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools and has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1961.
The school offers financial aid to families who cannot afford the cost of tuition, and financial aid offers are considered independently of admission. Annual tuition is $48,725 for the 2025–26 school year. Delbarton is a host site for NJ Seeds' young scholars program where every summer academically qualified but economically disadvantaged students attend classes on the Delbarton campus.
History
In the 1880s, Luther Kountze established an estate in northern New Jersey. He began to buy more land, eventually expanding his estate to cover. This eventually became the home of St. Mary's Abbey/Delbarton, Morristown National Historical Park and Lewis Morris County Park. Kountze eventually named the estate "Delbarton," borrowing one syllable from the names of each of his first three children.In 1918, Kountze died, leaving the entire property to his family. The family decided to put the estate for sale. In 1925, the monks of Saint Mary's Abbey, then in Newark, purchased approximately of Delbarton to use as a separate house for younger members for studying, finally settling on the property in 1927.
After some time, the monks decided to open a secondary school, as the Newark residence had done so with Saint Benedict's Preparatory School. After some deliberation, Abbot Patrick O'Brien opened Delbarton School in 1939, appointing Father Augustine Wirth as the first headmaster. At that time, the school was a boarding school for sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students.
In 1942, Father Stephen Findlay succeeded as Headmaster and introduced drastic changes. The grade levels were modified, ultimately resulting in seventh through twelfth grades being offered. The Kountze carriage house was destroyed in a fire in 1947, leading to the construction of the St. Joseph Gymnasium. Because of the fire, the school chose as its motto, "Succisa Virescit", borrowing from the often destroyed Abbey of Monte Cassino in Italy. Trinity Hall opened in 1959, allowing the enrollment to increase to over 300. Father Stephen retired in 1967 to the position of Director of Development. In 1971, the Schmeil-O'Brien Hall dormitory was dedicated, although the majority of students were day students.
Delbarton's fourth headmaster, Father Gerard Lair, initiated more changes. The system of discipline from demerits and detention changed to a conversational program designed to bring about positive changes. As the academic prestige of the school grew, the board of trustees decided to terminate the residential program in 1978. The last two resident students graduated in 1983.
Since then, more facilities have been built, with the dedication of the Lynch Athletic Center in 1983, Findlay Science Pavilion in 1995, Fine Arts Center in 2006, the 40 Acres soccer and baseball fields in 2009, and the Cocoziello Field and Passerelli Track in 2010.
Molestation allegations against a monk at Delbarton resulted in lawsuits being filed against the school by two former students who claimed to have been inappropriately touched by the Reverend. In 2018, the school acknowledged that 13 priests or monks, and one lay faculty member had abused 30 individuals over a period of decades, resulting in at least 8 legal settlements with seven other cases still unresolved at that point.
In April 2021, Delbarton officially opened St. Benedict Hall, featuring a new library, Spada Commons, new office suite for guidance and college counseling and three new classrooms. The building also features the Hayes Room and connects with the first and second floor of Trinity Hall.
International focus
Delbarton has made many efforts to open up the student body to the international community. Over the past few years many respectable speakers have spoken to the student body including Dith Pran and Lech Wałęsa.Delbarton students also have several opportunities to travel abroad. The school participates in foreign exchange programs with schools in Ireland, particularly sister school Glenstal Abbey School in County Limerick, and the Bildungszentrum Markdorf School in Markdorf, Germany. Juniors can travel to the Caribbean during the summer between their junior and senior year to learn about the culture and history of select islands through the school's SOL program. Students also have the opportunity to experience eco-tourism first hand in Costa Rica. Students have visited nature reserves, Arenal Volcano, Poás Volcano National Park and Monteverde while studying at the CPI language school in Heredia, Costa Rica. Delbarton students have also traveled to Spain on several organized summer trips and to Germany for World Youth Day with the school's religious educator David Hajduk. The school has also sent several students to help assist in Operation Smile Missions in China, Honduras, Madagascar and Thailand. The most recent established trip overseas was a mission trip to Nairobi, Kenya, and Hanga, Tanzania, where students donated money and aid to several schools. The school's various musical ensembles also travel to foreign countries to tour and perform.
Students participate in the school's Model United Nations and Challenge 20/20 clubs. The Model United Nations club participates in four to five Model UN Conferences every year and has attained much success, winning the Best Small Delegation Award at Princeton's 2005 conference, the 2007 Seton Hall University conference, and 2009 WAMUNC. The club also participated in The Hague International Model United Nations, held in the Netherlands from 2006 to 2008.
Academics
Delbarton operates an 8:00 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. schedule, including six class periods, a conference period, and lunch. The schedule is an eight-day rotating block schedule with two classes dropping out of the schedule each of the eight days. All students have a twenty-five minute free period from 10:00 to 10:25 AM. Teachers, guidance, and college counseling are available during M block and after school for extra assistance as needed. Although the school day ends at 2:45 p.m., the first buses do not leave campus until 4:00 p.m., which encourages students to pursue extracurricular activities, work with faculty on homework and special projects, and volunteer on one of the many community service projects the school sponsors. Late bus service is also offered at 6:00 p.m.Delbarton offers 24 Advanced Placement courses. In 2009, 107 Delbarton students qualified as AP scholars, with 16 students qualifying for the National AP Scholar Award, 37 qualifying for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award, 26 qualifying for the AP Scholar with Honor Award, and 34 students qualifying for the AP Scholar Award. Delbarton does not offer any courses designated explicitly as "honors" because even classes not designated as "AP" are taught well beyond the traditional high school level. For example, students may take mathematics classes up to 3 years ahead of the nationwide standard. Advanced math courses such as Linear Algebra, Multivariable Calculus, and AP Statistics are offered, as are independent study options. Language and literature courses are also offered in several languages.
With few exceptions, nearly all graduates continue on to four-year colleges or universities. Delbarton students are recognized for their academic achievements. In 2010, there were two National Merit Scholarships, three finalists, and 13 commended students. Eleven students were named Edward J. Bloustein Distinguished Scholars.
In 2007, The Wall Street Journal ranked Delbarton School ninth among America's high schools. For the 1983–1984 school year, Delbarton School received the National Blue Ribbon Award of Excellence from the United States Department of Education, the highest honor that an American school can achieve. In 2023, Niche.com ranked Delbarton third among Catholic high schools in the United States, and fifth among all private schools in New Jersey.
Athletics
The Delbarton Green Wave competes in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools from Morris, Sussex and Warren counties, and was created following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Before the NJSIAA's 2010 realignment, the school had competed in the Northern Hills Conference an athletic conference that included schools in Essex, Morris and Passaic counties. With 790 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Non-Public A for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 381 to 1,454 students in that grade range. The football team competes in the United White division of the North Jersey Super Football Conference, which includes 112 schools competing in 20 divisions, making it the nation's biggest football-only high school sports league. The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Non-Public Group A for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 738 to 1,404 students.Fall
Delbarton offers cross country, football and soccer as sports in the Fall season.Football
Delbarton's football program has won state football championships in 1993 and 1998. The 1993 team finished the season 11-0 after winning the Group III Parochial title with a 24-23 victory over Saint Joseph Regional High School. in the championship game after coming back from a 14-0 deficit. The team won the 1998 title with a 21-3 victory over Immaculata High School.From 1946 to 1987, Delbarton was coached by William Regan Sr., who compiled a 236-83-10 record with 33 winning seasons and 7 undefeated seasons.
From 1987 to 2002, Delbarton was coached by John Kowalik whose tenure included state titles in 1993 and 1998, state tournament playoff losses in 1997, 1999, and 2001 by fewer than six points in each game and five consecutive Northern Hills Conference championships for 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001, finishing his career with a record of 138-29.
Since 2003, the coach has been Brian Bowers. During this time period, the team transitioned to the North Jersey Athletic Conference in 2009. Delbarton won NJAC championships in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. Despite repeated objections based on being grouped with Bergen County football powers, the Green Wave joined the North Jersey Super Football Conference in 2016, playing in the White Division.