Donovan Catholic, Toms River, recently announced that the school has become the newest member of an ever-growing community of high schools offering the International Baccalaureate World School program in 147 different countries.

Donovan Catholic holds the distinction of being: one of 15 IB high schools in New Jersey and the state’s only Catholic high school; and the only IB World high school in Ocean County and in the Trenton Diocese.

Students will be able to take the IB Diploma Program with the first cohort commencing their studies in September.

The IB has a positive impact on students, schools and their wider communities with learning going well beyond the classroom. Its unique and innovative approach to learning means both students and teachers are genuinely engaged with the programs and benefit from being a part of an unparalleled global network.

Students are able to participate in international conferences and educators work with their peers internationally to ensure that the IB remains at the cutting edge of international education.

Reflecting on the honor, Dr. Edward Gere, principal said, “We wanted to offer our students a more holistic education which will instill in them the skills, knowledge and outlook to succeed in the 21st century, both in their local community and in the wider world.

“At the same time,” Dr. Gere continued, “we wanted to give our teachers the opportunity to be a part of an international network of experts leading the field in education. We are delighted to become an IB World School and we look forward to reaping the many benefits of the program,” he said, noting that two of the benefits are the increased acceptance rates at the most competitive colleges and high achievement at the university level.

“That Donovan Catholic has  now successfully completed the authorization process and can start offering the IB in September marks an exciting time for our school and more importantly, for the students who will benefit from an IB education,” Dr. Gere said.