LYNN — A $20 million expansion project, a new scholarship program and a fresh perspective to attract students have combined to boost St. Mary’s enrollment.
St. Mary’s started the school year with 558 students — an 11 percent increase over the 504 students at St. Mary’s at the end of the 2018-2019 school year.
The new school year started with 42 students enrolled in 6th grade compared to 23 last year — an 83 percent jump.
The Marian Division (grades 6-8) counted 133 students at the year’s start compared to 91 — a 46 percent increase.
St. Mary’s admitted 120 freshmen this year — 33 more than last year for a 38 percent increase.
“We’re defying gravity and it feels good,” said Head of School Dr. John F. Dolan, who is in his second year at St. Mary’s and for whom enrollment has been a focus since the day he arrived.
Dolan credits enhanced outreach to area middle schools, both Catholic and public, the focus of which was letting families know a St. Mary’s education is accessible and affordable.
St. Mary’s freshmen enrollment spurt ends what Dolan called several disappointing years of lower than hoped-for freshmen interest in the Catholic college-preparatory school.
Dolan said several forces came into play to boost 2019 enrollment, including his focus on enrollment growth and the recognition that St. Mary’s competes with other private schools and public schools, including charter schools such as the Knowledge Is Power Program charter school located a block away from St. Mary’s.
The hiring five years ago of Director of External Affairs Jamie Gigliotti set the stage for sweeping changes in St. Mary’s enrollment strategy, encompassing how the school marketed itself, raised money and communicated its mission.
“We shifted from recruiting to enrollment management. We set targets and measured them on a regular basis,” Dolan said.
St. Mary’s is in the midst of a $20 million building project, which will result in a new gateway entrance to campus and a STEM building with 30,000 square feet of classroom space. The project is scheduled to be completed next June and open for the 2020-21 school year. Additionally, the school has added three sports: field hockey, co-ed crew and girls rugby.
“We knew we had to have a turnaround year in enrollment,” said Gigliotti, noting that last year’s senior class was the biggest in the school, with 124 students.
Not only are the numbers up, but the caliber of students enrolling has also improved significantly, Dolan said, attributing that in large part to a new scholarship program — the Monsignor Paul V. Garrity Scholars — which attracted 103 applicants for the four-year, full-tuition awards.
While there were only 12 scholarship winners selected, 73 of the 103 who applied ended up coming to the school.
“The academic strength of the (ninth-grade) class is remarkable,” said Associate Head of School David Angeramo. “During the Garrity Scholarship process, the students got to know St. Mary’s and we got to know them. It was way beyond our expectations.”
Attracting and retaining students is an ongoing challenge and one that requires significant resources and effort.
“To run a private school on the North Shore, you better be sure of your numbers,” Dolan said.
The Marian Division increase is in part due to St. Mary’s partnership with Sacred Heart School, which created a pre-K – grade 12 education continuum. Sacred Heart is now a pre-K through grade 5 school, and its students move on to St. Mary’s for middle school and high school.
Sacred Heart is also a success story, with 13 percent more students this year, despite shifting grades 6-8 to St. Mary’s. Expanded offerings for preschool students has helped in that regard.
The goal now, Dolan said, is to build on the momentum.
“We have to continue to convince families to consider St. Mary’s for their student’s educational journey,” he said. “With the building project, and increased offerings in academics and athletics, we think we have a compelling story and we look forward to continuing to share it.”
