Notre Dame Preparatory High School (Arizona)
| Notre Dame Preparatory High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
9701 East Bell Road , 85260 United States | |
| Coordinates | 33°38′25″N 111°52′37″W / 33.64028°N 111.87694°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Private college-preparatory school |
| Religious affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 2002 |
| Founder | David Gonsalves |
| Oversight | Diocese of Phoenix |
| Principal | Brie Dragonetti[1] |
| Chaplain | Fr. Anthony Dang[1] |
| Teaching staff | 76.9 (on an FTE basis) (2023–24)[2] |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Enrollment | 975 (2023–24)[2] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 12.7:1 (2023–24)[2] |
| Colors | Purple and Vegas gold |
| Athletics conference | AIA |
| Mascot | Samson the Saint Bernard |
| Team name | Saints |
| Rival | Desert Mountain
Brophy Cactus Shadows |
| Accreditation | |
| Publication | Perspective (literary magazine) |
| Newspaper | The Seraphim[5] |
| Yearbook | The Halo |
| Affiliation | National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA)[2] |
| Website | ndpsaints |
Notre Dame Preparatory High School is a private Catholic high school located in Scottsdale, Arizona, United States.
History
The school was originally opened by the Tesseract Group, but by January 2001, it was announced they would be closing the school. It was reported there was interest by the Diocese in purchasing the school.[6] The student's parents came together to make a bid on the 18-acre school for $9.6 million. "If we could stay on campus next year, we have time to build a school," said Betsey Kauffman, vice-president of the Tesseract North Scottsdale Foundation, a non-profit group that was formed in October 2000.[7] "We could hold on to our student population and provide some security for our teachers," Kauffman said.
It was reported the Diocese outbid the parents by $2 million.
The site of the school was purchased by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix in March 2001.[8] It was confirmed the Diocese purchased the 36-acre site for $17 million.[9]
David Gonsalves was appointed by Bishop Thomas O'Brien of the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, as the first principal of the school.[10]
It was announced in November 2001, the school site would undergo a $9 to $10 million renovation, a gymnasium, chapel, and 16 new classrooms would be constructed for the new school.[11]
Prospective students, were scheduled to take an entrance exam on January 19, 2002, and interview with Principal Gonsalves.[11] Applicants were then notified by March 1, if they were accepted.[11] "I believe our curriculum will be more stringent compared to regular high school," Gonsalves said.[11] "Our goal is to send 100 percent of our kids to higher education."[11]
The school opened in August 2002 with only a freshman and sophomore class. The first class of 72 students graduated on May 21, 2005.
Demographics
The demographic breakdown of the 975 students enrolled for the 2023–2024 school year was:[2]
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity. View chart definition.
| American Indian / Alaska Native |
Asian | Black | Hispanic | White | Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander |
Two or More Races |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.4% | 3.5% | 1.1% | 10.6% | 77.6% | 0.8% | 5.9% |
Notable alumni
- Peter Bourjos, baseball player [12]
- Kade Gottlieb, Gottmik, finalist on RuPaul's Drag Race (season 13)[13]
- Jagger Jones, stock car racing driver [14]
- Sean Renfree, football player[15]
- Tayler Scott, baseball player [16]
- Aaron Slegers, baseball player[17]
- Jake Smith, American football player[18]
- Josh Doan, hockey player [19]
- Erika Kirk (née Frantzve), Miss Arizona USA (2012)[20] and widow of Charlie Kirk
References
- ^ a b "Leadership". Notre Dame Preparatory School. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f "Search for Private Schools – School Detail for Notre Dame Preparatory". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
- ^ "About Accreditation". Western Catholic Educational Association. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
- ^ "Cognia - Institution Summary". Cognia. Retrieved February 12, 2021 – via www.advanc-ed.org.
- ^ "NDP Live". www.ndpsaints.org. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
- ^ Mattern, Hal (January 5, 2001). "Tesseract Selling School Assets to Parent Groups". Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona.
- ^ Ryman, Anne (January 9, 2001). "Tesseract Parents Make Plea to Diocese". Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona.
- ^ Keim, Amanda (April 2, 2007). "Notre Dame Prep carves its niche". eastvalleytribune.com. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ "Diocese Sees Need, Why Can't State? School North of CAP". Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. March 28, 2001.
- ^ "Notre Dame Prep Chooses A Principal". Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. August 29, 2001.
- ^ a b c d e Ryman, Anne (November 9, 2001). "New Catholic School Drawing Attention". Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona.
- ^ Dwyer, Bill (August 8, 2016). "Peter Bourjos quickly makes impression with Angels". LaTime. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
- ^ "Gottmik's Whatcha Packin' 🌟 S13 TOP 4 RuPaul's Drag Race". YouTube. April 13, 2021. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
- ^ Bonkowski, Jerry (February 28, 2019). "Parnelli Jones' grandson set to make own racing mark in K&N debut". NBC Sports. NBC News. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
- ^ "NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles - Sean Renfree". www.nfl.com. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ Smith, Lauren (July 7, 2019). "Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger placed on 10-day IL". The News Tribune. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
- ^ Nesbit, Stephen (June 14, 2013). "Notre Dame Prep product Aaron Slegers anchors a strong Indiana Hoosiers team in the College World Series". The Arizona Republic. USA Today – via www.azcentral.com.
- ^ Obert, Richard; Morin, Richard (September 9, 2017). "Notre Dame Prep WR/RB Jake Smith commits to Texas". The Arizona Republic – via www.azcentral.com.
- ^ "Josh Doan to become first Arizona-born player to play for Arizona Coyotes".
- ^ "ASU senior wins Miss Arizona USA; UA senior runner-up". www.kold.com. November 23, 2011. Retrieved September 12, 2025.