FAQs

Admission is competitive and spaces are open to young men who complete the eighth grade with strong scholastic records, who receive recommendations from their sending schools, and who have earned a qualifying score on the CBA entrance examination.

CBA accepts qualified students of all creeds and backgrounds.

What opportunities exist to visit CBA? 
Open House is held each October. Check our admissions homepage for the upcoming date.

Private guided tours are available by contacting the admissions office. The Future Colt program is available for eighth graders to spend a half day with a CBA freshman.

In an average year, CBA accepts students from 80 or more sending schools in a three-county area. CBA’s students come from Catholic, independent, and public middle schools and grammar schools. The qualifications of the individual student remain key in the admissions process.

Encourage your son to take his education in grades 6 and 7 very seriously. The academic records he accumulates in those years have much more bearing on his entrance exam performance and acceptance than any specific “preparation” prior to the entrance examination.

CBA’s entrance exam is distinct from the assessments used for admission to the high schools of the Diocese of Trenton.

Many parents ask about hiring a tutor to prepare for the entrance exam. We believe that a student of above average intelligence who has had a solid foundation in mathematics, reading comprehension, English usage, and grammar should be able to earn a qualifying score on the entrance exam without recourse to tutors or other programs of exam preparation.

Ultimately, CBA’s admissions policy is driven by one overriding criterion: will a boy admitted be likely to succeed in a rigorous and competitive college preparatory program?

Generations have sacrificed to make a Christian Brothers Academy education available to their sons. At the present time, though, CBA is fortunate to be able to offer a limited number of academic scholarships to the most highly qualified students.

In addition, need-based specific scholarships and financial aid are available through an application process using objective criteria to assess individual need. This information is available under our Finance & Tuition section.

Last year, over 70 separate scholarships, combining for a total of just over $1.7 million, were awarded to incoming freshmen and current Academy students to help fund their CBA education. These scholarships are in addition to the over $800,000 in financial aid that the Academy awards annually to nearly 140 students.

CBA does not provide transportation. Local school board policy governs transportation to private schools and that is subject to annual review by those school boards. When you register your son as a student at CBA, you will be given a Transportation Request Form to complete. This form will then be submitted to your School District by CBA. Your local Board of Education will contact you during the summer months with busing information.

CBA offers certain modifications for students with an existing 504. We now offer a program for students with language-based learning differences. This program, Colt PLUS, will require a second application in addition to the traditional CBA admission application.

In addition, specific subject tutoring is available to students through the National Honor Society and individual subject teachers outside of class time. Some families will also use the services of professional tutors, either members of the CBA faculty or from outside agencies.