Holy Cross High School is eyeing a new property in Frederica for a standalone campus.
Holy Cross High School currently shares its location with the Holy Cross Catholic Church and its elementary school branch. Tom Fertale, Head of School for Holy Cross High, says that’s always been temporary.
“From the beginning, when the school was started, we always knew that we were going to be in a temporary location. The plan was always to have a full-service high school campus.” he said.
The proposed plan will include a main school building, a parking lot, and some practice fields for school sports, with expansion options for an arts and music wing, fitness center, and black box theatre.
Fertale says school leaders explored a number of other properties before landing on the current spot, which is on the southeast corner of Johnnycake Landing Road and Carpenter Bridge Road.
That location in west Frederica would see a near-100,000 square foot campus for hundreds of students, according to Holy Cross High School Head of School Tom Fertale.
Fertale describes Holy Cross as a college-preparatory high school offering a classical curriculum in the Catholic tradition, which he says fills a need in Kent and Sussex Counties.
“Let's be honest: Everyone needs to know how to read effectively, how to write effectively, how to present ideas, [and] how to be well spoken. I don’t need to really comment much on where Delaware stands in terms of our testing and education to say: Yes, our young people absolutely need another option" he said.
The current proposal will cost the school around $29 million. The plan includes a main building, parking lot, and some practice fields for school sports. Fertale says the school’s seeking donors to fund the project.
“We have no state or federal dollars given to us and there are no dollars directly from the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington since we are an independent Catholic school.” he told DPM.
Those investing in the school would be investing in the futures of their students, according to Fertale, but he also says that naming right to several of the school's rooms, wings, and buildings are available for donors of certain levels, ranging from $50,000 to $10 million.
The plan goes before the Kent County Regional Planning Commission September 10th. Fertale says if approved, they will begin construction in early 2027 and aim to open by fall of 2028.
