THE BASILICA SCHOOL TO EXPAND TO HIGH SCHOOL
Plans in place to offer 9th and 10th grades in Fall, 2023
Key West, Florida: Parents and community families will soon see their dream realized. The long-requested Basilica High School is to become a reality for the school year 2023-2024. The current PreK 3 through Grade 8 Basilica School of Saint Mary Star of the Sea has started plans to expand to Grades 9 and 10 in August 2023.
Continuing the tradition of the current, fully accredited, STREAM-certified PreK3–8 school, the new high school will offer students dual enrollment (DE) and advanced placement (AP) courses, the latest technology, and the most popular extracurricular activities, clubs, and sports programs. With an anticipated/expected enrollment of approximately 180 students by year three, the vision is to keep classes small–“to do small well.” Scholarship programs, available through Step Up for Students (FTC or FES), will keep costs affordable for all families. “As valued in Catholic tradition, our new Basilica High School will continue to provide academic excellence to our community’s adolescents, while encouraging intellectual curiosity, and the pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty,” said Robert Wright, principal.
Working with William Horn Architecture, renovation of The Basilica School’s old auditorium will provide a 17,500 sq. ft. academic facility. The school will launch a capital campaign, From Start to Finish, in the coming weeks.
“St. John Paul II said that the mission of Catholic education is to preach Christ to the world. Our faith is the cornerstone of all that we do here,” said Wright. “Many parents, whether or not they deem themselves religious, want their children to possess faith-based values: charity, kindness, compassion, and a solid work ethic. They want them to be persons of high integrity, and so do we,” continued Wright. “The academic product and ethos that our students and families enjoy are rooted in the Gospel. We work hard to plant seeds of virtue in our young people, and I am glad we’re taking the next step to continue nurturing the growth of those values through the critical teen years,” said Wright.
Persons interested in supporting this effort should contact Mr. Wright at [email protected].
###
Founded in 1868 by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, The Convent of Mary Immaculate was the first Catholic school in South Florida. The sisters established other schools, and in 1959, these were razed to make way for the existing St. Mary Star of the Sea School. In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI declared Saint Mary Star of the Sea a minor basilica and the school’s name changed to The Basilica School of Saint Mary Star of the Sea. It is located at 700 Truman Avenue, Key West.