DULUTH—Notre Dame Academy (NDA) in Duluth has announced plans to expand its current campus to include grades 9-12 and launch a high school with the inaugural freshman class starting in the fall of 2015.

The school has purchased 21 acres of land adjacent to the existing elementary and middle school campus on River Green Parkway off Peachtree Industrial Boulevard.

Construction is scheduled to begin this spring with the first phase of the expansion to include a 12-classroom building and a multi-purpose gymnasium and fine arts building that will serve students in the pre-kindergarten three-year-old program through 12th grade. Future phases will include an additional 22-classroom building and full athletic facilities.

“We continue to be blessed in our archdiocese with strong Catholic schools. The growth of our archdiocese as well as the demand for Catholic education supports the need to increase capacity in our Catholic schools,” said Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory. “The expansion of Notre Dame Academy will help address the increased demand for Catholic education through the high school years.”

Notre Dame Academy is an independent school sponsored by the Marist priests and brothers.

“The Society of Mary is excited to see Notre Dame Academy expand the opportunity for a Marist education to high school students in the Gwinnett County area, as they have done so well for students in the primary grades during the past 10 years,” said Marist Father John Harhager, president of Marist School.

In addition to expanding the opportunity for a Marist education, Notre Dame Academy will continue its strong focus on education by broadening its existing International Baccalaureate curriculum. NDA currently offers the Primary Years Programme (PYP) for students ages 3 through 12 and will add the Middle Years Programme (MYP) and the Diploma Programme (DP) to include students aged 13 through 18. The addition of the Middle Years Programme and Diploma Programme will establish Notre Dame Academy as the first pre-K-12 International Baccalaureate and Catholic school in Georgia, and one of only two schools to hold that title nationwide.

“We strongly believe in the International Baccalaureate’s ability to prepare students for today’s global world,” said Debra Orr, Notre Dame Academy head of school. “The program teaches students to become critical thinkers who take responsibility for their own learning. We are excited to offer this educational opportunity to all of our students in addition to the concrete growth of a high school.”

The news of the school’s campus expansion and high school extension comes as the school prepares to celebrate its decennial in the 2014-15 school year

Notre Dame Academy serves more than 525 students in PreK-3 through eighth grade and is accredited by SAIS/AdvancED and the International Baccalaureate Organization for the Primary Years Programme.