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Christopher Columbus High School
Columbus
Location
Map
3000 SW Galloway Road (87th Avenue)

Westchester, Miami
,
(Miami-Dade)
,
Florida
33165-3293

United States of America
Information
TypePrivate, Catholic, college preparatory
MottoยกAdelante!/Forward!
Religious affiliations
Roman Catholic, Marist Brothers
DenominationRoman Catholic, Marist
Patron saint
St. Marcellin Champagnat
Established1958
FounderMarist Brothers
StatusOpen
School district
Archdiocese of Miami
OversightMarist Brothers, Archdiocese of Miami
PresidentTom Kruczek
Principal
David Pugh
Teaching staff
115.8[1]
Grades9-12
GenderAll-Boys
Enrollment1,740 (2023โ€“24)[1]
Student to teacher ratio
15.0[1]
LanguageEnglish, French, Spanish
Hours in school day
8
Campus size
24 acre
Campus type
Urban
ColorsNavy Blue, White, & Red
ย ย ย 
Athletics conference
Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) 8A
Sports15
MascotExplorer
NicknameExplorers
Team nameColumbus Explorers
AccreditationSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Cognia (education)
PublicationCCNN Live
NewspaperThe Log
YearbookAdelante
School fees
$856 (enrollment fee)
Tuition$16,300 (2024-25)[2]
AliasCCHS or Columbus
Websitewww.columbushs.com

Christopher Columbus High School is a private Catholic college-preparatory high school conducted by the Marist Brothers in the Westchester area of Miami-Dade County, Florida.[3] It was established in 1958 and transferred to the Marist Brothers in 1959. The school has over 100 teachers, administrators, faculty, staff, with an enrollment of 1,700 students. It was selected, for the fourth time in a row, as one of the top 50 Catholic high schools in the United States by the Catholic High School Honor Roll in 2008.

History

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The school was established in 1958 by the Diocese of Miami at the request of the Archbishop of Miami Coleman F. Carroll to continue the secondary education program at St. Theresa Catholic School in Coral Gables.

The school opened with two and a half buildings and an enrollment of approximately 150 students. The Marist Brothers assumed the direction of the school in 1959. Presently the Columbus campus extends over 24 acres. In addition to the four major academic buildings, there is the Abraham Science Building, the Lawrence-Bell Media Center, the Howard Korth Music and Athletic Center, and the Mas Technology Complex. Athletic facilities include varsity athletic fields, a baseball complex, outdoor basketball courts, tennis courts, a gymnasium, track, and weight room.

In May 2018, Columbus High School made national headlines after controversy centered around the display of a live caged tiger during the school's "jungle-themed" prom. Videos and images captured the tiger pacing in a metal enclosure. The school's principal David Pugh expressed regret for the school administration decision to allow the use of animal entertainment, stating that it did not reflect the school's Catholic values.[4]

Columbus' rival school is the only other all-male, Roman Catholic school in Miami-Dade County, Belen Jesuit Preparatory School. The two schools' rivalry is often limited to athletics[5] (though Columbus competes on the more competitive level across all sports), the rivalry often extends beyond sports and into local politics and culture.[6][7]

Academics

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In order to graduate, students require twenty-four credits and a grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0. They must also complete one hundred hours of community service by the end of their senior year, 80 of which must be Direct, and 20 must be indirect. The academics at Columbus are based on a phasing system: โ€œCollege Preparatoryโ€ classes are for the academically challenged who require more time to absorb a given subject, โ€œAcceleratedโ€ classes are for the average student, An โ€œHonours Classโ€ is for the academically gifted, and Phase 5 refers to Advanced Placement (AP) classes, which have a college-level format and where academically motivated students have the opportunity to gain college credit should they earn the proper score on the AP exam. Depending on a given phase of a class, a student will earn a certain number of points, which are then weighted and averaged to generate a student's GPA, the average GPA being a 3.2.

Outside of Columbus HS cafeteria.

Columbus has more students taking AP classes than any other Catholic school in Miami-Dade County[citation needed] and their passing averages on AP exams are five times higher than the state and national averages.

Curriculum design

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Dual-enrollment classes are offered through St Thomas University, Barry University and Florida International University.

Students and faculty

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In 2023โ€“24 Columbus had an enrollment of approximately 1,750 students.[1] The students are 54.4% Hispanic, 49.6% White, 2.3% African-American, and 0.9% combination of Asian/Pacific Islander and Native American/Alaskan. The student-teacher ratio at Christopher Columbus High School is about 15:1. The professional staff includes 17 Marist Brothers, 100 laypersons; 2 librarians/media specialists and 9 counselors/advisors; 45% hold an advanced degree; 60% have over 20 years of teaching experience, and half have been with the school well over 15 years. Many Marist Brothers hold positions at Columbus including president, guidance counselors, career and college advisors, and teachers.

Clubs and social life

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Columbus is one of the most awarded broadcast journalism programs in the country (CCNN Live). They are five time Student Television Network National Crazy 8 champions. (2015, 2016, 2019, 2023, 2025) They have also been recognized by the National Scholastic Press Association, Florida Scholastic Press Association, and National Federation of High School (NFHS). They have won 85 Suncoast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Student Production Awards (Emmys) and 15 National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences National Awards.[citation needed]

Athletics

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The tennis courts are adjacent to the gymnasium building, at left.
The football field is surrounded by the track and stadium seating.

A member of the Florida High School Activities Association and the Greater Miami Athletic Conference, Columbus is the only private school in the state of Florida to compete at the 8A level.

At Columbus, students also compete in non GMAC clubs such as: Roller Hockey, Fishing, Scuba Diving, and Personal Fitness. Varsity level sports offered are: baseball, basketball, football, volleyball, hockey, soccer, bowling, cross country, golf, lacrosse, swimming, diving, tennis, track and field, water polo, weightlifting, and wrestling.

Junior varsity level sports include: baseball, basketball, football, volleyball, hockey, soccer, wrestling and lacrosse. Freshman level sports offered are: baseball, basketball, football and volleyball.

In 2009, Christopher Columbus High School won the Dodge Sunshine Cup All-Sports Award for boys' athletics programs in Class 6A.[8]

State Championships

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  • Baseball: 2003, 2015[9]
  • Football: 2019,[10] 2022,[11] 2023 [12]
  • Boys cross country: 1997, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2020[13]
  • Boys tennis: 1987[14]
  • Boys track and field: 2018, 2019, 2024[15]
  • Boys soccer: 2014[16]
  • Boys basketball: 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025

National Championships

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  • Boys Basketball: 2025

Additionally, Columbus won the Miami Herald's All-Dade Boys' Major Sports Award in 2008[17] and 2009.[18]

Current head football coach Dave Dunn has led the team to two straight championships and former head football coach Chris Merritt was part of Team USA's coaching staff for the International Federation of American Football Junior World Championship in 2009.[19] One player from Columbus competed on the team,[20] which won the tournament.[21]

Christopher Columbus' baseball program was ranked the number one baseball team in America during the 2009-2010 year.[22] Currently, Columbus competes at the 8A division.

Notable alumni

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Law/public service

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Journalism/entertainment

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Business people

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Athletes

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Baseball

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Basketball

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Football

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Christopher Columbus High School". Search for Private Schools. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  2. ^ "Tuition & Fees". Columbushs.com. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  3. ^ "2010 Block Census Map Westchester, Florida" (). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on April 30, 2014.
  4. ^ Molina, Brett Molina and Brett. "Caged tiger at Florida high school prom causes uproar". USA TODAY.
  5. ^ "Columbus continues dominance of Belen with 13th win in a row". miamiherald. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  6. ^ "Miami federal judge unimpressed by Belen-Columbus political rivalry | Naked Politics". Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  7. ^ "Belen-Columbus high school football game tailgates draw Miami-Dade's Cuban-American power brokers". miamiherald. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  8. ^ "St. Thomas Aquinas, Bolles sweep Dodge Sunshine Cup all-sports awards" (Press release). FHSAA. June 24, 2009. Archived from the original on March 9, 2010. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
  9. ^ "BASEBALL 2019-20 CHAMPIONSHIP RECORDS" (PDF). FHSAA. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  10. ^ "FOOTBALL 2020-21 CHAMPIONSHIP RECORDS" (PDF). FHSAA. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  11. ^ "Class 4M Football Bracket". fhsaa.com. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  12. ^ "FOOTBALL 2023 CHAMPIONSHIP RECORDS". FHSAA. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  13. ^ "BOYS CROSS COUNTRY 2020-21 CHAMPIONSHIP RECORDS" (PDF). FHSAA. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  14. ^ "BOYS TENNIS 2020-21 CHAMPIONSHIP RECORDS" (PDF). FHSAA. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  15. ^ "BOYS TRACK & FIELD 2019-20 CHAMPIONSHIP RECORDS" (PDF). FHSAA. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  16. ^ "BOYS SOCCER 2020-21 CHAMPIONSHIP RECORDS" (PDF). FHSAA. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  17. ^ "Miami Herald Honors Br. Kevin" (PDF). Family Newsletter. Christopher Columbus High School. June 2008. p.ย 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 8, 2011. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
  18. ^ Fernandez, Andre C. (May 29, 2009). "2008-09 All-Dade Awards winners list". Miami Herald. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
  19. ^ "United States: Coaches". Jr. World Championship of American Football. USA Football. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
  20. ^ "United States: Roster". Jr. World Championship of American Football. USA Football. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
  21. ^ Beaven, Michael (July 14, 2009). "Team USA Crowned Inaugural IFAF Junior World Champion". Jr. World Championship of American Football. USA Football. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
  22. ^ "High School Top 25: March 16; Miami's Columbus High takes over at No. 1". Baseball America. March 16, 2010.
  23. ^ "'One Today': Richard Blanco's Inaugural Poem". ABC News. January 22, 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  24. ^ "Justice Raoul G. Cantero III visits Columbus - The Log". The Log. April 15, 2016. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  25. ^ "The Pulitzer Prizes | Citation". www.pulitzer.org. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  26. ^ "21 Scientific And Technical Achievements To Be Honored With Academy Awardsยฎ". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. January 13, 2015.
  27. ^ "US Speed Skating". Archived from the original on January 6, 2014. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  28. ^ "Augie Diaz Sailing". teamusa.org. Archived from the original on January 1, 2016. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  29. ^ "Royals make coaching changes". MLB.com.
  30. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on January 6, 2014. Retrieved January 5, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  31. ^ https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/moliniz01.shtml
  32. ^ "Could Miami Hurricanes get back LHP Andy Suarez? Doubt it. But he still hasn't signed with Nationals. - Eye on the U". typepad.com. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  33. ^ Womack, Keenan (July 2, 2025). "Evaluating Jase Richardson's Fit on the Orlando Magic". Sports Illustrated.
  34. ^ "Cameron Boozer - Basketball Recruiting - Player Profiles - ESPN". ESPN.com.
  35. ^ "Cayden Boozer - Basketball Recruiting - Player Profiles - ESPN". ESPN.com.
  36. ^ Sammon, Will (January 5, 2020). "What makes Xzavier Henderson an ideal addition to Florida's recruiting class". The Athletic. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  37. ^ The Athletic Staff. "Patriots to add Highsmith as front office executive". The Athletic. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  38. ^ "Federico Maranges Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 26, 2026.
  39. ^ Liggett, Dylan (September 18, 2024). "Henry Parrish Jr. excels on offense". The Daily Mississippian.
  40. ^ Cabrera Chirinos, Christy (June 22, 2019). "Hurricanes get commitment from four-star defensive end Elijah Roberts". CBS12.com. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  41. ^ "Mike Whittington Past Stats, Statistics, History, and Awards". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on November 23, 2011. Retrieved March 11, 2010.
  42. ^ "Bobo Wilson Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
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