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The school was founded in 1967 and has considered adding younger grade levels a few times over the years. Two other local Catholic boys’ high schools enroll middle school students: Chaminade starts at sixth grade and Priory starts at seventh.

“All the research on religious practice is telling us that the age of 13 is when kids make the decision to opt in or opt out,� said the Rev. Ronny O’Dwyer, president of De Smet. “If we’re serious about faith formation, we’ve got to get kids younger.�

The new grades are expected to enroll about 60 students each. Tuition has not been set, but will likely be lower than the $21,000 annually for high school students. De Smet is looking to hire a dean of the middle school to start in July for a year of preparation.

The expansion at De Smet comes as Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski is reviewing long-term plans for the 30 smallest parish grade schools in the archdiocese. Some school mergers or closures could be announced this month in the second phase of “All Things New� downsizing of the church’s footprint in the region amid a declining number of Catholics and priests.

Enrollment across the 82 grade schools in the archdiocese is below 65% of capacity. There are now about 19,000 students in the schools, down from 40,000 in 2000.

But a community survey to gauge interest for a middle school at De Smet found a negligible effect on Catholic feeder schools that offer sixth through eighth grades.

“What really surprised me was the significant interest from Catholic families presently attending public schools,� O’Dwyer said.

Rozanski approved the expansion of De Smet, which operates independently but is sponsored by the archdiocese. There are no parish or archdiocesan-run high schools left in ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ County following the closure of Trinity in Spanish Lake in 2021. The independent Barat Academy in Chesterfield closed last year.

“I am grateful for De Smet’s leadership in our Archdiocese to conduct the extensive research and dialogue necessary to strategically address the important mission of Catholic education,� Rozanski said in a statement.

Students in the middle school grades will attend class in a dedicated section of the De Smet campus on New Ballas Road. Eighth graders in good standing will be automatically admitted to the high school, but students from other middle schools can still apply in ninth grade. Each high school grade at De Smet has about 175 students.