St. Anthony High School in Long Beach launched its 95th school year with 142 incoming freshman students, the high school’s largest freshmen class enrollment since 1993, when St. Anthony’s had a freshman class of 128 students.
According to Gina Rushing Maguire, president of St. Anthony’s, the high school has experienced steady enrollment growth due to several factors that “make the school highly attractive to families.” One key factor is the value of a faith-based school experience, which balances academics, athletics, extra-curricular activities and service, and encourages students to pursue higher education, she explained.
“The second factor fueling our growth is the school community’s investment in campus renovation, the integration of one-to-one technology in the classroom, and the expansion of curriculum in the areas of science, technology, engineering, art and math to better prepare students for careers and lifelong success,” she added.
On St. Anthony’s first day of school (Aug. 24), the school’s newly-renovated two-story science building was fully occupied for the first time in 15 years. The updated building now has a MAC/multimedia lab, technology lab and three science labs, as well as a full-service kitchen. In addition, construction is almost complete on the school’s new street-facing campus and gym windows, funded by a generous grant from the Port of Long Beach’s Community Mitigation Program.
