Marmion Academy To Go Coed

[MIKEFTB]

After nearly a century as an all-boys institution Marmion Academy in Aurora will welcome female students as early as the 2026-27 academic school year.

"After a year of intense study, discernment and prayerful reflection it was detrrmined that it was the right time to make the change" the school stated adding that "Our values rooted in the Catholic Benedictine tradition will remain at the heart of our mission"

The Marmion Abby chapter of Monks voted Saturday to approve the planning and implementation of a coeducational model which followed a school board recommendation in October

The initial stratagy will focus on keeping students in single gender classrooms as freshmen and sophomores and then moving to coed classrooms for their junior and senior years

The decision raised some concerns about the impact on Rosary High School a private Catholic
all-girls school in Aurora. Rosary is not closing, is not facing financial hardship, and has no imminent plans to merge with any other institutions.

Rosary partners with Marmion on programs like theater and school officials say the hope to continue collaborating. School leaders will explore options amid " a fundamental shift in Catholic education in the Fox Valley

As for Marmion, administrators feel the change will "Better prepare students for the diverse, interconnected world and meet the needs of famalies in tbe Fox Valley area who want their daughters to have a transformative education and to position Marmion for long-term enrollment growth.

 

[SiuCubFan8]

I always though it would go co-ed at some point but merge with Rosery.

 

[MIKEFTB]

I always though it would go co-ed at some point but merge with Rosery.

I had that thought as well but it seems Rosary is doing just fine. Kind of reminds me of when Fenwick in Oak Park went coed in the early 90s. Many felt it would be the end of all girls Trinity High School in River Forest but that school is still going strong.

 

[colin2229]

Marmion is a fantastic school and this will be the end of Rosary.

One thing I don't understand, they want to start with Jr/Sr female classes. Why not start with Freshman and grow by a class each year? If your kid transfers there as jr/sr they are going to have to sit out a year due to the transfer rules.

 

[JCHillmen]

Marmion is a fantastic school and this will be the end of Rosary.

One thing I don't understand, they want to start with Jr/Sr female classes. Why not start with Freshman and grow by a class each year? If your kid transfers there as jr/sr they are going to have to sit out a year due to the transfer rules.

I interpreted that as they will begin admitting freshmen females, but the philosophy will be one of keeping the girls and boys separate the first two years of HS and then having the genders intermix as upperclassmen. It's an....interesting philosophy.

Really hate this if if comes as a surprise to Rosary. If they have had a good working relationship for many years, you would think they would coordinate decisions like this together. Will be interesting to see if it has an impact on Rosary or even ACC.

 

[colin2229]

I interpreted that as they will begin admitting freshmen females, but the philosophy will be one of keeping the girls and boys separate the first two years of HS and then having the genders intermix as upperclassmen. It's an....interesting philosophy.

Really hate this if if comes as a surprise to Rosary. If they have had a good working relationship for many years, you would think they would coordinate decisions like this together. Will be interesting to see if it has an impact on Rosary or even ACC.

This shouldn't come as a surprise to Rosary. Has been discussed between the two schools for some time now. My assumption is they couldn't agree so Marmion went ahead without them.

Don't really understand why Marmion is doing it. They have a fantastic school and things are good the way they are. Why change anything?

Adding Rosary is one thing...starting a whole new host of programs is another.

 

[SiuCubFan8]

This shouldn't come as a surprise to Rosary. Has been discussed between the two schools for some time now. My assumption is they couldn't agree so Marmion went ahead without them.

Don't really understand why Marmion is doing it. They have a fantastic school and things are good the way they are. Why change anything?

Adding Rosary is one thing...starting a whole new host of programs is another.

It’s seems odd since it’s not a situation where MA needs the female enrollment. Sometimes just stick to what you are good at but I guess things change as well.

 

[colin2229]

The obvious big question is......

Marmion currently multiplies their boys only enrollment of 520 times two to give them an enrollment of 1040 for IHSA purposes. Now that they have girls, I assume that goes away. To start, I imagine Marmion will have a small number of girls. Their coed enrollment could be around 600 for a few years placing them in 4a where they could win some playoff games.

 

[colin2229]

It’s seems odd since it’s not a situation where MA needs the female enrollment. Sometimes just stick to what you are good at but I guess things change as well.

Kind of a big risk that could blow up in their face. I can see the loyal Rosary families coming together and no one leaving as well.

Aurora Central is so much cheaper - I don't see this effecting them.

 

[SiuCubFan8]

Kind of a big risk that could blow up in their face. I can see the loyal Rosary families coming together and no one leaving as well.

Aurora Central is so much cheaper - I don't see this effecting them.

Wow, significantly lower.

 

[JCHillmen]

Wow, significantly lower.

How does ACC get by at that low a tuition rate? Do they have other substantial sources of funds? Is there a required fundraiser for an extra few grand per year? Large endowment?

Unless you're lookin at an all religious faculty (which is seemingly not even possible today), it is hard to conceptualize paying salaries and benefits and maintenance while only bringing in 7-8 k per year per child.

I feel like that is the tuition rate most suburban private schools charged 20 years ago.

I hope it doesn't hurt Rosary or ACC. Even at a different price point, my concern with ACC would be that parents of daughters who were sent to ACC and have the means to pay more may prefer the Marmion choice.

And if not, where will all these females come from for Marmion? I assume Batavia and surrounding western burbs will provide some, just like they do presently for their boys. But I would think most of the families of girls with means who want Catholic/Christian education in Aurora are already paying for Rosary, ACC, or AC. If Marmion isn't going to make inroads with the ACC crowd, I don't know that there is enough female population for this to be a successful transition. I just don't see a ton of new families who are going to be like "I was going to send my daughter to Batavia HS, but now there is finally a private option in Aurora I am satisfied with."

My only prediction with limited knowledge is that either this will be a failed experiment by Marmion OR it will be real bad news for at least Rosary if not ACC. I can't imagine all three thriving, but I hope I am wrong.

 

[crusader_of_90]

Marmion is a fantastic school and this will be the end of Rosary.

One thing I don't understand, they want to start with Jr/Sr female classes. Why not start with Freshman and grow by a class each year? If your kid transfers there as jr/sr they are going to have to sit out a year due to the transfer rules.

They do not want upperclassmen all firing on the youngest girls ... let them get used to being around chicks first.

 

[caravan8]

Coming from an outsiders perspective, this seems like it would be similar to BR going coed and not merging with McAuley. Neither school seemingly struggling financially or enrollment wise. Some good athletics teams at both schools. It just doesn’t make much sense. I know the distance between Rosary & Marmion is probably greater than that between BR & McAuley, but I don’t understand it. Hope it works out for the best.

 

[colin2229]

How does ACC get by at that low a tuition rate? Do they have other substantial sources of funds? Is there a required fundraiser for an extra few grand per year? Large endowment?

I've always been told its because of their association with the Rockford Diocese. Most schools in the Rockford diocese are under 10k...except Marmion and Woodstock Marian.

 

[ramblinman]

Marmion is a fantastic school and this will be the end of Rosary.

One thing I don't understand, they want to start with Jr/Sr female classes. Why not start with Freshman and grow by a class each year? If your kid transfers there as jr/sr they are going to have to sit out a year due to the transfer rules.

Rosary is also a fantastic school. As MTFB pointed out, people said Trinity would close when Fenwick went coed. Didn't happen. People said Regina would close when Loyola went coed. Didn't happen.

I think what is really going to be interesting is to see is how this move impacts Catholic coed schools like Benet and St Francis and Aurora Central Catholic. As the crow flies, Marmion is just 8 miles from St. Francis and 10 miles from Benet.

Will kids interested in a Catholic coed education who live on the western edges of the Benet and St. Francis enrollment areas continue going east to Benet and St Francis, or will they perhaps stay closer to home and go to coed Marmion? Is a Marmion education LOCALLY PERCEIVED as equal to or better than those two schools?

As for ACC, it is just four miles from Marmion as the crow flies. Elsewhere in this thread, someone mentioned that ACC tuition is much less than Marmion. I think the presumption they were making is that very few families in ACC's demographic would want to pay much higher tuition to send their kids to Marmion now that it is coed. Perhaps. Only time will tell, though.

 

[ramblinman]

A lot

How does ACC get by at that low a tuition rate? Do they have other substantial sources of funds? Is there a required fundraiser for an extra few grand per year? Large endowment?

Unless you're lookin at an all religious faculty (which is seemingly not even possible today), it is hard to conceptualize paying salaries and benefits and maintenance while only bringing in 7-8 k per year per child.

It is my understanding that the "Central Catholic High School" concept, whether it is Aurora Central Catholic, Marian Central Catholic, Newman Central Catholic, Bloomington Central Catholic, etc. means, in part, that the school is "central" to a number of surrounding Catholic parishes that provide an annual subsidy to that school. If true, that could certainly explain a lower tuition, especially for kids from those surrounding parishes.

 

[ramblinman]

And if not, where will all these females come from for Marmion? I assume Batavia and surrounding western burbs will provide some, just like they do presently for their boys. But I would think most of the families of girls with means who want Catholic/Christian education in Aurora are already paying for Rosary, ACC, or AC. If Marmion isn't going to make inroads with the ACC crowd, I don't know that there is enough female population for this to be a successful transition. I just don't see a ton of new families who are going to be like "I was going to send my daughter to Batavia HS, but now there is finally a private option in Aurora I am satisfied with."

If they did their feasibility study right, and I have to assume they did, they know the answer to your question of where the girls will come from. My guess is that there is substantial money from existing Marmion families that has been pledged or in some way committed to this change. Current and past Marmion families that want to send their girls to Marmion and not to any other Catholic high school is likely where many of the girls will be coming from.

Let's not overlook Marmion enrolling girls who would have otherwise attended Batavia, Geneva, or St Charles East high schools.

My only prediction with limited knowledge is that either this will be a failed experiment by Marmion OR it will be real bad news for at least Rosary if not ACC. I can't imagine all three thriving, but I hope I am wrong.

Folks said Trinity and Regina would close when Fenwick and Loyola went coed 25-30 years ago. That hasn't happened. Both are very much alive. Regina's girls hoops team finished fourth in 2A last year. Regina is actually in a much better financial position now than they were back with they had 4 times the number of girls as they have now.