Austin Preparatory School: Difference between revisions

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==Athletics==

On January 20, 2022, the school announced that it would leave the [[Catholic Central League]] and [[Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association]] to join the [[New England Preparatory School Athletic Council]] starting in the fall of 2022. The school will begin NEPSAC competition as an independent.<ref>{{cite web |title=Austin Prep to Join the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council |url=https://www.austinprep.org/about-us/school-news/post/~board/home-news/post/austin-prep-to-join-the-new-england-preparatory-school-athletic-council |website=Austin Prep |access-date=January 20, 2022 |date=January 20, 2022}}</ref>

Boys Ice Hockey

The Austin Prep Boys Hockey program has long been a pillar of elite Massachusetts high school hockey, producing championship teams, NCAA and professional players, and a strong coaching lineage. Under Jim McAdam in the late 1980s, Austin Prep captured the 1989 State Championship and reached the state finals in 1990 and 1992, setting the foundation for competitive success. Later, Lou Finocchiaro, who served as head coach from 2005 through 2017, revitalized the program: during his 14-year tenure the Cougars won multiple Catholic Central League titles, made several appearances in the Super 8 tournament (notably including 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015), and built depth and consistency. Under Finocchiaro’s assistant, Bill Pappas, who took over after Finocchiaro’s retirement in 2017, and more recently John McLean, the program has continued to raise its profile. Under the leadership of Patrick Driscoll ’97, now Director of Athletics and boys varsity coach, Austin Prep was accepted into membership in the Holt Conference as part of its NEPSAC alignment, further formalizing its prep school competition schedule. Over its history, the program has won 18 Catholic Central League titles, and its alumni include Tom Fitzgerald ’86 (NHL player and current NHL GM), Blaise MacDonald ’81 (long-time NCAA coach), and many others who have played NCAA Division I & III. The 2022 move from the MIAA to NEPSAC reflects the school’s strategy to align with peer prep institutions and deepen competition, while maintaining its tradition of cultivating skilled, academically committed student-athletes.

=== Baseball ===

In June 2022, the Austin Prep baseball team won its third Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) Division 3 state championship in six seasons, defeating Newburyport 2–1 at LeLacheur Park in Lowell.<ref name=”baseballjournal.com”>{{cite web |title=How Austin Prep’s transition to prep baseball is going so far |url=https://www.baseballjournal.com/how-austin-preps-transition-to-prep-baseball-is-going-so-far/ |website=New England Baseball Journal |date=April 16, 2024 |access-date=September 15, 2025}}</ref> Postseason success has been a consistent theme for the program, which also won Catholic Central League championships in 2017, 2018, and 2019.<ref name=”baseballjournal.com”/>

Following its 2022 title, the school transitioned from the MIAA to the New England Prep Schools Athletic Conference (NEPSAC). In its first NEPSAC season in 2023, Austin Prep finished with an 18–4 record~~. However, the team was not eligible for postseason play, as the school had yet to gain acceptance into a NEPSAC league, and one early application was rejected~~.<ref name=”baseballjournal.com”/>

In 2025, junior outfielder Bradley McCafferty was named the Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year for Massachusetts, becoming the first Austin Prep player to earn the honor.<ref>{{cite news |last=Giovanni |first=Nick |title=Austin Prep ‘Swamp Boy’ Bradley McCafferty named Massachusetts baseball player of the year |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/austin-prep-swamp-boy-bradley-mccafferty-named-massachusetts-baseball-player-of-the-year/ |work=CBS Boston |date=June 14, 2025 |access-date=September 15, 2025}}</ref>

Private, coeducational school in Reading, Massachusetts, United States

Austin Preparatory School, known as Austin Prep, is a co-educational Catholic school for students in grades 6 to 12 located in Reading, Massachusetts within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1961.

History

Austin Preparatory School was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1961 and opened its doors to students in 1963. Initially established as an all-boys Catholic school, it began with a small enrollment and held its first graduation in 1966. Over time, the school transitioned to a coeducational model and expanded both its academic and extracurricular offerings.^[3]

Leadership

Dr. James Hickey has served as head of school since 2013. During his tenure, Austin Prep has achieved full enrollment, expanded its faculty, and invested approximately $22 million in campus upgrades. In 2022, the school left the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) and joined the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC), a move Hickey described as improving the athletic experience for students and coaches.^[4]

In 2025, Hickey was recognized nationally as one of nine Catholic school educators to receive the National Catholic Educational Association’s Lead. Learn. Proclaim. Award, which honors outstanding contributions to Catholic education.^[4]

Academics

Austin Preparatory School emphasizes college preparatory education with strong outcomes for its graduates. The Class of 2024 included 151 students who were admitted to leading colleges and universities across the United States, Europe, and Australia. Graduates received offers from Ivy League institutions, New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) schools, U.S. News & World Report-ranked liberal arts colleges and universities, and flagship public universities nationwide. Three graduates entered the United States Naval Academy, while one enrolled at the United States Military Academy at West Point.

In addition, 34 graduates from the Class of 2024 committed to continuing their athletic careers at the collegiate level, representing 22.5 percent of the class. By comparison, the NCAA estimates that only about 6 percent of U.S. high school athletes compete in college athletics.^[5]

Harvard Medical School Collaboration

Austin Preparatory School offers a physics course in partnership with Harvard Medical School’s MEDscience program, in which students spend time between the classroom at Austin Prep and the MEDscience labs at Harvard Medical School. They also present robotics projects to a panel in a “Shark Tank” style event.^[6]

Athletics

On January 20, 2022, the school announced that it would leave the Catholic Central League and Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association to join the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council starting in the fall of 2022. The school will begin NEPSAC competition as an independent.^[7]

Boys Ice Hockey

Baseball

In June 2022, the Austin Prep baseball team won its third Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) Division 3 state championship in six seasons, defeating Newburyport 2–1 at LeLacheur Park in Lowell.^[8] Postseason success has been a consistent theme for the program, which also won Catholic Central League championships in 2017, 2018, and 2019.^[8]

In 2025, junior outfielder Bradley McCafferty was named the Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year for Massachusetts, becoming the first Austin Prep player to earn the honor.^[9]

Girls’ Cross Country

In November 2022, the Austin Prep girls’ cross country team won the school’s first New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Division II Championship, placing three runners in the top ten and four in the top fifteen at St. Mark’s School in Southborough.^[10] The victory marked the program’s first NEPSAC title since the school transitioned to the conference at the start of the 2022–23 academic year.^[10]

Arts

Austin Prep stages an annual student production of The Nutcracker, which began in the mid-1990s and involves nearly 200 performers from grades 6–12 in roles including classical ballet, acting, comedy, and storytelling.^[11] The production is directed by Marla Pascucci-Byrne, chair of the Art & Design Department and a longtime English and dance faculty member, who founded the school’s dance program and has directed the Nutcracker for more than three decades.^[11] In 2025, the Nutcracker is scheduled to be performed at the Collins Center for the Performing Arts in Andover, Massachusetts.^[11]

Notable alumni

Notes and references

^ “Austin Preparatory School”. Niche. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
^ NEASC-CIS. “NEASC-Commission on Independent Schools”. Archived from the original on June 16, 2009. Retrieved July 28, 2009.
^ “Austin Prep has built itself a winner”. The Boston Globe. September 8, 2018. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
^ ^a ^b Cipolla, Wes (January 24, 2025). “Austin Prep’s James Hickey to be honored by NCEA”. The Boston Pilot. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
^ Cipolla, Wes (August 30, 2024). “Austin Prep Class of 2024 graduates begin their college journeys”. The Boston Pilot. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
^ “Austin Preparatory School in Reading, MA”. Niche. Retrieved November 22, 2025.
^ “Austin Prep to Join the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council”. Austin Prep. January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c “How Austin Prep’s transition to prep baseball is going so far”. New England Baseball Journal. April 16, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
^ Giovanni, Nick (June 14, 2025). “Austin Prep ‘Swamp Boy’ Bradley McCafferty named Massachusetts baseball player of the year”. CBS Boston. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
^ ^a ^b “Girls Cross Country Captures Austin Prep’s First NEPSAC Championship”. The Reading Post. November 17, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
^ ^a ^b ^c Austin Prep (November 21, 2025). “Three Melrose Sisters Bring Holiday Magic to Austin Prep’s Nutcracker”. Melrose Patch. Patch Media. Retrieved November 22, 2025.


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Education	Seminaries Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary St. John’s Seminary Colleges Boston College Emmanuel College Labouré College Merrimack College Regis College St. John’s Seminary Closed Marian Court College High schools Academy of Notre Dame, Tyngsboro Arlington Catholic High School, Arlington Austin Preparatory School, Reading Bishop Fenwick High School, Peabody Boston College High School, Dorchester Cathedral High School, Boston Catholic Memorial School, West Roxbury Central Catholic High School, Lawrence Cristo Rey Boston High School, Dorchester Fontbonne Academy, Milton Lowell Catholic High School, Lowell Malden Catholic High School, Malden Newton Country Day School, Newton Notre Dame Academy, Hingham Notre Dame High School, Lawrence St. John’s Preparatory School, Danvers St. Mary’s High School, Lynn Saint Sebastian’s School, Needham Ursuline Academy, Dedham Xaverian Brothers High School, Westwood Closed Cambridge Matignon School, Cambridge Don Bosco Technical High School, Boston Elizabeth Seton Academy, Boston Hudson Catholic High School, Hudson Marian High School, Framingham Mount Alvernia High School, Newton Nazareth Academy, Wakefield Our Lady of Nazareth Academy, Wakefield Pope John XXIII High School, Everett Presentation of Mary Academy, Methuen Sacred Heart High School, Kingston Saint Clement High School, Medford Saint Joseph Preparatory High School, Boston St. Dominic Savio Preparatory High School, Boston Trinity Catholic High School, Newton Former Archbishop Williams High School, Braintree Cardinal Spellman High School, Brockton
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