Falling student enrollment over recent years created the opportunity for a Connecticut Catholic School to go co-ed in the fall of 2025.

After a five-month review, Notre Dame High School West Haven Board of Corporate Members accepted the unanimous recommendation of Notre Dame’s Board of Directors to go co-ed.

“We were looking for viable options for the school moving forward,” Notre Dame President Robert F. Curis said. “We’ve seen this in schools all across the state — enrollment is shrinking and is in constant decline. You need to evaluate how you are going to position yourself.”

“But this isn’t all about enrollment,” he said. “We are an amazing school with a Holy Cross education. The time seems right to open up to girls.”

Notre Dame is one of 22 congregations of Holy Cross-sponsored secondary and post-secondary academic institutions in the country. After the fall of 2025, 20 of the 22 will be co-ed. Notre Dame West Haven was founded in 1946.

“In prior years, the thought was to stay the course,” Curis said. “I’ve been here for 10 years, and we’ve worked hard to make this a special place. We’ve been here 83 years and have incredible academics and 13,000 alumni and we want this school to be here for many years to come.”

“We were able to continue a single-gender school up until today because there was enough of a demand for what we were offering,” he said.

Curis said Notre Dame is using Holy Cross in Flushing, N.Y. as a model. That school went co-ed in the 2018-19 school year.

Notre Dame West Haven currently has 478 boys enrolled. The total was closer to 600 when Curis came into his role a decade ago. During that time, other Catholic schools in the state including Trinity Catholic in Stamford and Sacred Heart in Waterbury closed their doors.

“For me, this is exciting news, and we need to be able to pivot to be here for many more years,” Curis said. “Seeing those other schools close are important indicators to make sure we are doing what’s best.”

Female students will start at the school in the fall of 2025 as freshmen and transferring sophomores. Outside of the classroom, athletics are expected to start as soon as possible for female students.

With more students enrolled, in theory, that should help with cost.

“The cost of an education has increased and has made it harder for the families we want to serve harder,” Curis said. “Having a more robust population makes it easier. We want to serve the working families. As we have gotten smaller it’s gotten harder to serve those families.”

Ruben Valencia, vice president of Academic Affairs at the school, said “bringing in female students give us the best sustainability long term.”

“I felt strongly this was the best decision for us. I’m excited,” Valencia said. “This is going to bring us a lot to our school. Extending our mission to girls will be very positive.”

“I think it’s going to be a seamless transition,” he said. “We have put a lot of thought into this, and we feel very prepared for what is coming next.”

Valencia said 25 to 35 female students in freshman and sophomore classes at Notre Dame would be a good start in the fall of 2025.

“The truth is if the demographics weren’t what they were we would still be single gender school,” Valencia said. “We are going to be in good company though. We wish the schools that remain single gender the best of luck. This is certainly not us jumping on a bandwagon.”

Xavier High School in Middletown and Fairfield Prep remain two of the last remaining all-boys schools in the state and Sacred Heart Academy in Hamden remains an all girls school.

“We support President Robert Curis and the NDWH school community as they embark on this strategic decision to become co-educational, which will continue to foster Catholic high school opportunities for students in Connecticut,” Fairfield Prep said in a statement.

“At Fairfield Prep, our Jesuit mission as an all-boys school continues to be our focus, academically, athletically, and spiritually. Our traditional Jesuit educational model is designed to specialize in the learning development of young men during a highly transformative period in their lives. Prep’s current enrollment forecast is strong, with an upward admissions trend over the last five years, and a waiting list for Prep’s incoming Class of 2028 in the fall.”

Prep President Christian Cashman stated that Fairfield Prep strives to be a strong Catholic partner across our region.

“We are proud of our service partnerships in the wider Catholic elementary market and with Catholic Charities, our thousands of graduates serving the communities of Connecticut, and our longstanding relationships with our Catholic brother and sister schools,” Cashman said. “Prep is committed to our Jesuit mission to be men for others. Strengthening Catholic education in our region makes us all stronger.”

Sacred Heart Academy President Sheila O’Neil released an email to the Sacred Heart Academy community.

“Sacred Heart Academy’s all-boys counterpart, Notre Dame High School of West Haven, has recently announced their plan to welcome young women as students in the beginning of fall 2025. This new and significant shift in Notre Dame’s vision puts an end to the longstanding relationship between SHA and ND as brother and sister schools,” the statement said.

“Sacred Heart Academy remains to our mission of creating and environment that is girl-focused so that our students can continue to reap the benefits of an all-girls education: higher academic achievement, stronger self-confidence and resilience and more success on the job market,” the statement said.

“SHA is committed to providing our students with the best high school experience possible, including their social experience, which is undoubtedly important to teenagers,” the statement concluded. “As we navigate this change, we explore new opportunities for our students to expand their horizons, meet new people and socialize in new meaningful ways.”