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New Archdiocesan High Schools - Q & A

When will the new schools open?
Construction of the school in Upper Providence Township is scheduled to begin in 2008, with an expected opening date of September 2010. Construction is scheduled to begin at the Hilltown Township site in the summer of 2010, with a target opening date of September 2012.

Where are the new schools located exactly?
The first new high school is planned for a 92-acre tract at the intersection of Rittenhouse and Township Line Roads in Upper Providence Township, Montgomery County.

The second new high school is planned for a 63-acre tract at the intersection of Limekiln Pike and Rickert Road in Hilltown Township.

What are the names of the new schools?
Currently, no decision regarding the names of the new schools has been made.

When can students apply?
Students who are enrolled at Kennedy-Kenrick and St. Pius X during the 2009-2010 school year will receive fast-tracked admission to the new school in Upper Providence Township, and will begin classes at the new school in September 2010.

Students who are enrolled at Lansdale Catholic during the 2011-2012 school year will also receive fast-tracked admission to the new school.

Information concerning enrollment for the current and new schools can be obtained by directly contacting the schools. Information will also be sent out to prospective students in Archdiocesan elementary schools, religious education programs and the general public as we approach opening day at each site.

What will the new schools offer students?
Each new school will feature:

More than 30 wireless classrooms;
Five science laboratories;
Three computer laboratories;
Library/media resource center;
Television studio;
Two art rooms;
Choral/band rooms;
432-seat cafeteria;
90-seat chapel;
1200-seat auditorium;
1000-seat main gymnasium;
Auxiliary gymnasium & fitness center;
Six competition-level sports fields;
Running track with all weather surface; and
Six competition-level tennis courts

In addition, both schools will be fully air conditioned and feature state-of-the-art security features.

Will the tuition for the new schools be the same as other Archdiocesan high schools?
Actual tuition cannot be definitively determined at the early stage of this process, but tuition will be higher due to the additional costs to operate these modern facilities. A 2006 Archdiocesan feasibility survey regarding the new schools demonstrated that area parents would be willing to pay an increased tuition for state-of-the-art facilities.

What is the projected enrollment of the new schools?
Projected enrollment is more than 1,000 students for each school. However, both sites have a capacity of 1,200 students and can be further expanded through the construction of an addition, which would expand the schools to accommodate up to 1,600 students per school.

What school districts will provide transportation to the new schools?
Students within a 10-mile radius of the new facilities will receive bus transportation by their respective school districts. In the event that a school district does not provide busing, the Archdiocese will evaluate solutions for transportation on a district-by-district basis.

With this decision, what will happen to Kennedy-Kenrick Catholic High School, St. Pius X and Lansdale Catholic?
In concert with the plan to open the new school in Upper Providence, Kennedy-Kenrick and St. Pius X Catholic High Schools will relocate at the end of the 2009-10 school year (June 2010). Students who are enrolled at Kennedy-Kenrick and St. Pius X during the 2009-2010 school year will receive fast-tracked admission to the new school.

Lansdale Catholic will relocate upon completion of the Hilltown Township school.

Why are these schools relocating?
Following the successful construction of Bishop Shanahan High School in 1998, the Archdiocesan Board of Education began looking at high growth areas in Bucks and Montgomery County to develop a strategic plan to address the future of Catholic secondary education in these areas.

After reviewing existing facilities in these areas and examining projected demographic growth, the Archdiocese conducted a search to find larger parcels of land that would be suitable for new schools. This led to the purchase of land in 2001 in Upper Providence and Hilltown Townships.

Kennedy-Kenrick, St. Pius X, and Lansdale Catholic High Schools are among the smallest of the Archdiocesan secondary schools in square footage and it was determined that the best solution would be to replace these facilities.

The Archdiocese conducted in-depth research, including an extensive survey of area parents, which has shown that parents want state-of-the-art facilities for their children to attend. Moreover, the existing school buildings have physical plant limitations which would continue to stifle potential growth.

In its ongoing commitment to provide the best Catholic education to its students, the Archdiocesan Board of Education recommended the two-tiered approach to the construction of these two new high schools. Cardinal Justin Rigali approved this recommendation in January 2008 after consultation with the Archdiocesan Finance Council and the College of Consultors.

How was this decision made?
The Archdiocese undertook a multi-year, comprehensive process to determine the feasibility of building two new high schools. This feasibility study included the analysis of regional population trends, individual school enrollment forecasts, discussions with community leaders, land/environmental surveys, an architectural evaluation and site planning process and most importantly, an extensive, independent survey of parents of children who could potentially attend these new facilities.

The Archdiocese surveyed 6,100 parents with children between grades 3-6 in parish elementary schools or in parish CCD programs. These parents live within a 10-mile radius of the new school sites. The Archdiocese received a 26% response rate, with almost 1,600 parents responding. This is a very high response rate for mail survey research.

Nearly half of the respondents to the Upper Providence Township area survey indicated that their children would most likely attend a new Catholic high school, if made available to them. In the Hilltown Township survey, 50% of parents with children currently enrolled in Archdiocesan elementary schools indicated that they would most likely send their children to the new school.

After completing this multi-year analysis, Cardinal Rigali announced plans to build two new high schools to answer the demand of parents interested in providing a Catholic education for their children.

How will the diocese support the existing high schools until the new schools open?
The Archdiocese remains steadfastly committed to providing a quality Catholic education for the benefit of its students. Therefore, Kennedy-Kenrick, St. Pius X and Lansdale Catholic will continue to receive the support necessary to meet that obligation.

Why were Upper Providence and Hilltown Townships chosen for the new schools?
Upper Providence Township and Hilltown Township represent centers of demographic growth where the Archdiocese can best serve the needs of regional students. These areas also offered the space necessary (92 acres in Upper Providence and 63 acres in Hilltown), to build state-of-the-art facilities exceeding 200,000 square feet with additional space for athletic fields and parking.

What will be the cost of building the new schools? Where is the money coming from?
The total project cost for the school in Upper Providence Township is expected to be approximately $65 million, which includes construction costs, contingencies, professional service fees, furniture, road construction, and financing during construction. It is too early to accurately project total construction costs for the Hilltown site as inflation will be a factor. However, costs savings will be realized for the Hilltown site as the Archdiocese is using the same architectural plan for both schools. Financing for the two new schools is expected to come from three major sources: 1) tax-exempt bonds; 2) an upcoming capital campaign and 3) revenue from the sale of old school buildings.

This is a significant investment in two new schools. What improvements are being done in the existing Archdiocesan high schools?
There is currently a substantial effort being made to renovate other high school facilities. Much of this work has been made possible by the successful Legacy of Faith capital campaign.

In Philadelphia, one major project recently completed was the replacement of roofing and windows at Cardinal Dougherty, John W. Hallahan, St. Hubert, Father Judge and Little Flower High Schools. Additionally, new locker rooms were constructed at SS. John Neumann & Maria Goretti High Schools. Father Judge and Roman Catholic High Schools also added new multi –million dollar buildings to their campuses.

In the suburbs, a $4 million multi-year window replacement program began last summer at Cardinal O’Hara High School, which also has a brand new auditorium. Two million dollars was invested into new athletic fields at Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast High School. Additionally, Bishop Shanahan High School received a new stadium and window and roofing projects were completed at Conwell-Egan and Bishop McDevitt High Schools.

There have been a number of classroom enhancements to positively affect classroom instruction. These include new art rooms and science labs at Bishop McDevitt, new science labs at Archbishop Ryan, a new technology center and library renovations at Northeast Catholic, and classroom makeovers at almost every school. The use of technology in the classroom has increased so rapidly that the Internet bandwidth to the schools will be increased by 700% this coming summer at all schools.

The school facilities being relocated (Kennedy-Kenrick, St. Pius X and Lansdale Catholic) are among the smallest of the Archdiocesan high schools in square footage. The schools lack auditoriums, which are common in most of the other schools, and do not have enough classrooms to meet the growing population. Although the new schools will be two to three times larger than the existing facilities, they will rank sixth among all Archdiocesan high schools in overall square footage when constructed.

What has happened to the money that I donated/pledged to a school that is relocating?
Your generous donations are in use for current & immediate needs, and are helping students enrolled today in those schools. These contributions have helped to improve the physical plants and provided significant tuition assistance, with the goal of creating the very best environment for our students today.

Is the projected enrollment of the new schools a net gain or loss compared to the enrollment of the three existing schools? How will the enrollment for the new schools be sustained?
Initially, enrollment will be about the same. However, the Archdiocese is projecting that number to grow because of the advantages of these modern facilities and their ideal position to accommodate continued growth in the surrounding geographic areas.

When did discussions regarding the new schools begin?
The Archdiocesan Board of Education initiated discussions in 2000.

Which architectural firm created the renderings for these projects? Has a builder been selected? If so, who is the builder for each site?
L. Robert Kimball & Associates of Philadelphia was chosen to create the original designs for both the Upper Providence Township and Hilltown Township sites. EDiS Company of Wilmington, Delaware has been selected as the construction manager for the schools.

Where can I get more information about these new schools?
The Archdiocese is committed to providing up-to-date information on these new schools at www.keepingfaithinmind.org. As the construction begins, the community will be invited to participate in many events surrounding the new schools.