By
St. Columbkille Partnership School in Brighton has announced the addition of two new science labs, a new library/media center, four additional classrooms, a music room and art room, a cafeteria and administrative offices in 16,000 square feet of new space acquired as part of a 40-year lease agreement signed between the school and the Archdiocese of Boston.
The new facilities, totaling $1.2 million, have been added in the space previously occupied by the Conservatory Lab Charter School, which relocated to Dorchester in June, and St. Columbkille High School, which closed in 1993.
Since its inception in 2006 as a partnership between Boston College, the Archdiocese of Boston and St. Columbkille Parish, the St. Columbkille Partnership School has seen a 171 percent increase in enrollment, from 140 to 380 students, reversing the trend of urban diocesan schools in Boston and throughout the nation. The additional space will enable the school to expand to 480 students.
Boston College has invested more than $4 million in the K-8 Catholic school during the past eight years as part of a commitment by University President William P. Leahy, SJ, to sustain the last Catholic elementary school in neighboring Allston-Brighton.
“We offer an excellent education that has attracted students from Allston-Brighton and 16 communities throughout the region,” said Head of School William Gartside. “The school features a holistic approach that focuses on the academic, spiritual and human development of its students. The support from Boston College and these renovations will enable us to provide the infrastructure to support the quality academic education we offer and to expand our services to 100 additional students.”
St. Columbkille Parish School was founded in 1901 to serve the burgeoning population of Irish immigrants. The school began experiencing declining enrollment beginning in the 1980s, and was transformed by the partnership with Boston College, the Archdiocese of Boston and St. Columbkille Parish.
Since then, more than 90 percent of the school’s teachers have earned master’s degrees from Boston College, and BC’s Lynch School of Education has assisted the school in adopting a research-based curriculum, a strong early childhood program and a technology-centered elementary education program. Given the steady increase in pre K-6 enrollment, the 16,000 square foot expansion will provide additional seats for middle school students in the coming years.
“We are a community school that provides a rigorous education at an affordable cost,” said St. Columbkille Partnership Board Chairman Peter McLauglin. “Our partnership with BC and its Lynch School of Education has created a winning formula that appeals to parents not only in our host community, but in surrounding communities including Newton, Watertown, Waltham, Cambridge, Brookline and West Roxbury.”
Added Gartside, “It is an exciting time for all of us at St. Columbkille School. One of the best Catholic schools in New England just got better, and our lease with the Archdiocese of Boston gives us the space and stability we need to continue to grow and thrive in the years ahead.”