Bishop Stang High School

It is located in the suburban town of Dartmouth, on the South Coast of Massachusetts. Stang's 8-acre (32,000 m²) campus is 25 minutes west of Cape Cod and 20 minutes east of the Rhode Island border. Its 500-plus student body draws from more than 50 cities and towns in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Catholic secondary education in southeastern Massachusetts began in the early 20th century with local parochial schools affiliated with various Catholic parishes. Some of these, such as the now-closed Holy Family High School, located near St. Lawrence Church in New Bedford, had strong academic reputations and produced generations of prominent Catholic alumni in the region. While Stang was not the first Catholic secondary school in southeastern Massachusetts, it was the first regional, diocesan, coeducational institution. Founded in 1959, Stang's original faculty included Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in full religious habit. The new 8-acre (32,000 m²) campus across from the Country Club of New Bedford in then-pastoral Dartmouth drew students from cities and towns in a 60-mile (97 km) radius from Rhode Island to Cape Cod. In the years following the Second Vatican Council, the number of Sisters of Notre Dame decreased. By the 1970s the vast majority of faculty and administrators were lay men and women, and the remaining sisters dressed conservatively, but in lay clothing. Since its inception, Stang has had a large number of alumni return as teachers and administrators.

Bishop Stang is a nationally recognized Blue Ribbon School [1994-1996]. The United States Department of Education’s Blue Ribbon Program recognizes schools based on their academic excellence. Advanced placement courses at Bishop Stang are offered in Biology, Chemistry, Physics 1 and 2, Calculus A/B, Calculus B/C, Statistics, Computer Science, English Language & Composition, English Literature, Psychology, United States History, Studio Art, and European History. These mainly apply to Juniors and Seniors. Freshmen and Sophomores are eligible for Advanced Math placement—i.e. "skipping" a level of math according to their performance—in the course typically taken by the grade above them. The College Gateway Program is the "dual-enrollment" program that allows students to earn college credit that will also be applied to your program while at Bishop Stang. The Pathways Approach Program serves students with learning differences, offering small group and one-on-one support to students, classroom accommodations, and access to an Orton-Gillingham trained teacher for reading support.

Bishop Stang offers over 47 varsity, junior varsity, and freshman interscholastic sports teams including 27 varsity athletic teams and 19 sub-varsity teams. The school offers more than 25 co-curricular activities. Bishop Stang's athletic teams have historically been successful in both men's and women's sports.

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