Photo Courtesy of Monsignor Donovan School

ATHENS—Monsignor Donovan School, an independent Catholic School, will expand its academic program to include seventh and eighth grades beginning with the 2025-2026 school year.  

In partnership with the archdiocesan St. Joseph School, the expansion of Monsignor Donovan in Athens will provide students and families with a seamless Catholic education from pre-kindergarten to high school.  

“We are incredibly excited about this next step in Donovan’s growth and look forward to welcoming new students into our community,” said Dr. Ashli Walker, head of school at Monsignor Donovan. “This expansion will provide middle school students with a head start on their high school journey while benefiting from our strong academics, athletics and supportive community.”  

In alignment with the expansion, rising seventh- and eighth-grade St. Joseph School students will transfer to Monsignor Donovan. Beginning in the upcoming school year, St. Joseph School will offer pre-kindergarten to sixth grade.  

With the expansion, Monsignor Donovan will provide seventh and eighth graders the opportunity to explore their interests and begin to consider future career paths in a faith-centered setting.  

Megan Wentworth, director of advancement at Monsignor Donovan, said the school has long been exploring the idea of expanding. Recent family surveys from St. Joseph School indicated that parents wanted increased opportunities for their children, thus prompting the decision to move the middle schoolers to the high school.  

Based on the results of the parent surveys, the school administrators and Father Paul Moreau, pastor of St. Joseph, discussed the idea of moving the upper grades to the high school with Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer, OFM Conv., and Superintendent of Catholic Schools Patty Childs.  

After the archbishop and superintendent’s approval of the plan, Father Moreau joined the administrators of both schools for a video announcement of the news.   

“There’s a presence of priests on both campuses as well as the availability of the sacraments—adoration and frequent Masses on campus,” he said about the Catholic identity of both schools. 

Sophomores Mika Nguyen and Hazel Hogan smile as they celebrate the first day of school. Monsignor Donovan School hopes the offering of seventh and eighth grades, beginning next year, will provide mentorship opportunities between younger and older students. Photo Courtesy of Monsignor Donovan High School

“The parents asked for more opportunities for enrichment, advanced classes and high school classes for their middle school students,” said Wentworth. “It made sense for us to be able to offer those things and make their transition to high school easy.”  

The decision to expand also aligns with research-based benefits of the 7-12 grade model. Through this system, seventh and eighth graders have access to advanced coursework and high school-level resources, further strengthening their academics. Also, the students will be exposed to extracurricular activities, including athletics and clubs.  

Wentworth shared that the 7-12 grade model also encourages better social development, which is important to the Monsignor Donovan community. Middle school is a formative year for many students in terms of shaping identity and exploring interests, Wenworth said, so “making these students feel part of a community is the school’s priority.”  

“It’s going to be an even more beautiful environment,” Wenworth said. “We’ll get to prepare them for the real world and college. We’ll help them learn to be confident and advocate for themselves, and that it’s OK to make mistakes.”  

Though the seventh and eighth graders will have their own wing in the school, they can still explore the campus when they go to their elective classes and attend Friday night sporting events.  

Monsignor Donovan Catholic School is now enrolling for grades 7-12 for the 2025-2026 school year. Families interested in learning more are encouraged to schedule a tour or student shadow day.