'We're here for the long-term.' New all-boys Catholic school to open in Bond Hill

More than three decades after a Catholic school closed in Cincinnati's Bond Hill neighborhood, a new Catholic school is set to open in the long-closed building.

Xavier Jesuit Academy, a Jesuit Catholic primary school, will open Aug. 14 for class. In its first year, the school will serve 45 students in third, fourth and fifth grades. The academy plans to accept students through eighth grade.

The school fills the old St. Agnes school building at 1601 California Ave., a Catholic elementary school that closed in 1993.

As a Jesuit school it already has established links with St. Xavier High School and Xavier University. It also boasts a leadership board full of big names and deep pockets.

The Board of Trustees represents the city's Fortune 500 companies, state politicians and more. The board is comprised of 18 members:

• Michael Keating, former president and CEO of The Christ Hospital Health Network.
• William Moran, former senior vice president of the Fifth Third Bank.
• Eric Kearney, former state senator and current president of the African American Chamber of Commerce.
• Patricia Robertson, former Procter & Gamble executive; former board chair of DePaul Cristo Rey.

Every board member has donated to the school, according to Greg Vehr, vice president of advancement for the school. Vehr was the spokesperson for the University of Cincinnati and former senior vice president for development at the Dragonfly Foundation

Private donations funded the school's $9 million renovation and will also support student scholarships. The tuition of Xavier Jesuit Academy is around $12,500, according to Kyle Chandler, founding principal. Chandler said no family would have to pay that price. At most, families could pay $1,000 for the year. Some would pay nothing at all.

Ohio's EdChoice vouchers will also cover the costs. The taxpayer-funded program provides all students at or below 450% of the federal poverty level with a full voucher to attend a private school. For those in higher tax brackets, the voucher's value decreases proportionally.

The scholarships are important because the academy will serve many low-income students. Bond Hill is a neighborhood of about 7,000 residents, 21.5% of whom live below the poverty line, according to an Enquirer neighborhood report card . At the school, roughly 75% of Xavier Jesuit Academy students are expected to qualify for free or reduced lunches, according to Chandler.

Even big Cincinnati-based companies are in on the creation of Bond Hill's only Catholic school. P&G is funding the school's art room, while Kroger is helping to pay for the kitchen, which will be another classroom for students to learn about food.

'There's a connection'

After graduation, students can attend any high school that's their "best fit," but Chandler said that St. Xavier High School is "the standard."

As the high school's president and an academy board of trustee member, Timothy Reilly is adamant that, despite their connection, the academy will not be a feeder school for St. Xavier High School.

"It is not about what high school, it's always about the young man," Reilly told The Enquirer in an emailed statement.

St. Xavier High School in Finneytown is a predominantly white all-boys school, with a minority enrollment rate of just 20% according to its website.

"There's no doubt, with our name, say 'Xavier Jesuit Academy,' there's a connection," Vehr said. "The connection is Jesuits."

St. Xavier High School plans to start a "big brothers program" between the two schools, according to Reilly.

Why open now?

The school opens at a time when many Catholic elementary schools across the nation are declining. The 2024 National Catholic Education Association report found 20 new schools opened while 55 schools either closed or consolidated in the past school year.

Cincinnati alone has faced the closure a number of Catholic schools through the last decade, including St. Joseph in the West End and St. Martin of Tovas in Cheviot , both closing last year. Mother of Mercy High School closed its doors in 2018 to merge with McAuley High School. Before that, St. Peter Claver and St. James of the Valley shut down in 2015.

With St. Joseph closing its doors, Xavier Jesuit Academy is the only Catholic school in the city to be partnered with a predominantly Black parish, Church of the Resurrection. It's one of only three predominantly Black Catholic congregations in Cincinnati, according to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

With St. Joseph forced to close its doors, Xavier Jesuit is the only school to be connected with any of those three parishes.

Despite that, Xavier Jesuit Academy's president, the Rev. Nathan Wendt, said he feels confident that the school has a sustainable future. The school is focusing on ensuring that it has the resources and donations to maintain the Jesuit education model.

"We're here for the long term." Wendt said.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 'We're here for the long-term.' New all-boys Catholic school to open in Bond Hill