Fairfield College Preparatory School

For the school in Leicestershire, England, see Fairfield Preparatory School.

Fairfield College Preparatory School (Fairfield Prep) is a Jesuit preparatory school located on the campus of Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut. It is an all-male school of about 800 students, founded by the Society of Jesus in 1942.

Fairfield College Preparatory School
Address
1073 North Benson Road Fairfield , Connecticut 06824-5157 United States
Coordinates	41°9′38″N 73°15′17″W
Information
Type	Private, preparatory
Motto	Per Fidem Ad Plenam Veritatem (Through Faith to the Fullness of Truth)
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic, Jesuit
Established	1942 (83 years ago) (1942)
Founder	James Fitzpatrick, S.J.
President	Christian J. Cashman
Chairman	Sally Bednar
Principal	Timothy Dee
Chaplain	Fr. Ronald Perry, S.J.
Faculty	90
Grades	9–12
Gender	Men
Enrollment	Approx. 800 (2023-2024)
Campus	Fairfield University
Color(s)	Red and white
Team name	Jesuits
Accreditation	New England Association of Schools and Colleges[1]
Newspaper	Zeitgeist
Yearbook	Hearthstone
Tuition	$25,400 for the 2024-2025 school year
Website	www.fairfieldprep.org

History

The bishop of Archdiocese of Hartford brought the Jesuits to the diocese in 1942, prior to the establishment of the Diocese of Bridgeport in 1953, with the purchase of the adjoining estates of Jennings and Lashar off North Benson Road in Fairfield. The school began operations first; the university followed in 1947.^[2][3][4] Prep was first accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges in 1945.^[5]

The prep campus is a proper boarding school campus on the east-central side of the university and has its own sports field, while having use of university facilities for many activities.^[6] The three, conjoined Prep buildings occupy a hill overlooking Long Island Sound^[7] on the 200-acre campus it shares with the university.^[8]

Students come from 51 towns across Connecticut, with the majority of the students from Bridgeport, Trumbull, Stratford, Norwalk, and Fairfield. Ten percent are students of color.^[9]

Program

Qualifying students are admitted to honors courses. Seventeen advanced placement (AP) courses are offered at Prep.^[10] Seniors who excel in math, science, and foreign languages are permitted to take courses next door at Fairfield University, at no additional tuition. Admission to the university library is also permitted to Prep students.^[11]

Athletics

Fairfield College Preparatory School is part of the Quinnipiac Division in the Southern Connecticut Conference. The school fields 15 varsity sports including football,^[12] soccer, cross country, basketball, ice hockey, swimming & diving, wrestling, skiing, baseball, lacrosse, track & field, rugby, golf, crew, and sailing.^[13] Prep's athletic teams have won 49 CIAC state championships and numerous other state titles in non-CIAC sports.^[14]

Hockey

Prep has won 19 state championships, the most recent in 2023 where Prep defeated Notre Dame West Haven 3-0 at Quinnipiac University.^[15] Prep has had four players work their way up to the National Hockey League, including Chris '94 and Ted Drury '89, Jaime Sifers '01 and Mark Arcobello '06. Matt Sather '93 has coached the hockey team since 1999, leading it to eleven state championships. Since 1991, there has not been a 4-year class at Prep that has not won a state title in hockey.^[16]

Swimming and diving

Prep posted three straight undefeated regular seasons from 2007 to 2009 and won the CIAC Class L Championship in 2007. The Jesuits placed second behind rival Greenwich High School in the CIAC Class LL Championship in each season since the Class L title in 2007. In 2012, Fairfield Prep finished undefeated for the first time since 2009, and won their 8th straight SCC championship. The team won the 2012 Class LL and State Open Championships. Fairfield Subsequently lost Conference Championships in 2020 and 2021 to rival Xavier High School from Middletown.^[17]

Lacrosse

Prep's lacrosse program has won six state titles since 2006 with three runner-up finishes during that time. The team won most recently in 2013, beating Staples High School, for the school's 5th state championship.^[18] Christopher Smalkais coached the team for 33 years from 1983 to 2016 and won six state championships. He was inducted into the Connecticut Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2013. His introduction speech was given by 2011 Hall of Fame Inductee Howard Benedict, longtime New Canaan High School Lacrosse coach and a '63 Fairfield Prep alumnus.^[19]

Tennis

Prep's tennis team has won 10 state team championships, with the most recent in 2003. Todd Paul, Class of 2003, won the Class LL Singles Championship four years in a row.^[20]

Rugby

Prep Rugby has been perennial contenders under Coach Frank Decker, and have been runner-up in every state championship match except one. Arch rival Greenwich High School won the championship each year. Prep rugby has many notable alumni, including Kenneth Stern '06 who attended Boston University and plays for the Philippines national team, and Will Brazier '01 who attended Fairfield University and played for the USA Tomahawks and the USA Falcons. In April 2016 Prep sponsored the first annual North-East Jesuit Rugby Tournament, and prevailed over five other Jesuit schools.^[21] They have won 3 out of 4 Northeast Jesuit Tournaments.

Rival

Prep's rival is Xavier High School.

List of Championship Wins

CIAC State Championships^[22]

Sport	Class	Year(s)
Basketball (boys)	L	1969
	LL	1997, 2015
Cross Country (boys)	LL	1997, 1998, 2011
	Open	1997, 2011
Football	L	1977
	L-I	1982
	LL	1988
Golf (boys)	I	1983, 1985, 1990, 1993, 1995, 2021
	Spring-I	2022
	Fall-I	2023, 2024
Ice Hockey (boys)	II	1977
	I	1979, 1980, 1981, 1991, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2023
Lacrosse (boys)	L	2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013
	LL	2024
Swimming (boys)	L	1980, 2007, 2025
	LL	2012
	Open	1998, 2012
Tennis (boys)	LL	1986, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2002, 2003

Notable alumni

• Jeff Davis (writer) - creator and director of the popular shows Criminal Minds and Teen Wolf
• Peter J. Denning '60 - computer scientist
• Felly '12 - rapper
• Kevin Heffernan '86 - actor/comedian/film writer/attorney (Broken Lizard)
• Pat Jordan '59 - acclaimed author of A False Spring, ranked #37 on Sports Illustrated's Top 100 Sports Books of All Time^{[citation needed]}
• Peter Jankowski ‘82 - president of Wolf Entertainment
• Kevin Kallaugher '73 - cartoonist for the Economist magazine
• George F. Keane - founder of the Common Fund
• Stephen Kellogg '94 - musician, Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers
• Robert Kowalski '58 - logician
• William J. Lavery '55 - Chief Judge, Connecticut Appellate Court
• Justin Long '96 - actor and spokesman for Geico
• Mike McGlone '91 - actor and spokesman for Geico
• Sean McManus '73 - President, CBS News and CBS Sports
• Brian Monahan '78 - Attending Physician of the United States Congress and Rear Admiral in the United States Navy
• Peter Sarsgaard '89 - actor
• Yohuru Williams - dean of Fairfield University College of Arts and Sciences
• Peter Cuong Franklin - modern Vietnamese cuisine chef
• Mark Arcobello - professional hockey player, SC Bern
• Will Brazier '01 - rugby player with USA Tomahawks and USA Falcons
• Chris Drury '94 - professional hockey player, 1998-99 NHL Rookie of the Year, Member of Team USA in Winter Olympics
• Craig Kinsley '07 - 2012 London Olympic track and field athlete
• Matt Merullo '83 - major league catcher^{[citation needed]}
• Mike Porzio '90 - MLB player (Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox)^{[citation needed]}
• Bob Skoronski '52 - professional football player, Offensive Captain of Green Bay Packers Super Bowls I & II Champions

Notable former faculty

• John McLaughlin - television talk show host and advisor to President Richard Nixon
• Francis A. Sullivan - Jesuit theologian and ecclesiologist
• Charles F. Miller - Jesuit theologian and doctor