A new Catholic high school is set to open in 2028 in the Diocese of Raleigh, North Carolina, showing the success of Catholic education in the region amid declining enrollment in Catholic schools nationwide.

Local CBS affiliate WNCN reported May 1 that the new school will be the fruit of a collaboration between the diocese and Cardinal Gibbons High School, which has provided the Raleigh community with Catholic education since 1909, according to its website. Cardinal Gibbons is currently operating at full capacity with an annual enrollment of 1,600 students. However, a demand for quality Catholic education necessitates the opening of another school, according to WNCN.

School administrators plan to open the school in the fall semester of 2028 with a freshman class, adding an extra grade level each year and graduating its first class in 2032.

“Cardinal Gibbons High School has grown and evolved with the Diocese of Raleigh,” Raleigh Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama stated, according to WNCN. “I am pleased that the school leadership is being innovative and forward-thinking to provide a quality, Catholic high school education in more and different ways for many years to come.”

WNCN reported that Cardinal Gibbons administrators said plans for the new school reflect the diocese’s goal of expanding access to quality Catholic education.

“We are excited to be a part of growing high school education in the Diocese of Raleigh,” Cardinal Gibbons Head of School Jeff Bell said in a statement, according to WNCN. “We look forward to partnering with many in the coming months to create a new high school that will expand Catholic education in the Triangle.”

Zeale previously reported that an overview of Catholic education from the National Catholic Education Society (NCEA) found Catholic school enrollment down 0.6% since last year, prompting the Cardinal Newman Society to raise concerns over the state of Catholic education. 

Despite declining enrollment across the country, Catholic schools in the Southeast appear to be performing well, with many opening new schools and delivering record enrollment. North Carolina’s other diocese, the Diocese of Charlotte, reported at the beginning of the 2024-’25 school year that it had achieved a record enrollment of more than 8,300 in its diocesan schools, up 2% from the previous year.