Maryville Academy buys former elementary school in Niles, Ill., for $2.5 million

Maryville Academy, a Catholic at-risk school for young children in Des Plaines, Ill., has purchased the former South School from the Niles elementary district for $2.5 million.

The academy will use the 63,000-square-foot building to expand its Jen School to become a comprehensive high school, and is moving the school from its campus in Des Plaines to the former South School, reports Journal & Topics.

Maryville will expand Jen School's academic curriculum (social-emotional learning or SEL) and will build more classrooms to enhance its Career and Technology Education (CTE) programs.

The academy will also build two more academic classrooms for a total of 10 academic classrooms; seven CTE classrooms for special education students will also be built.

Maryville plans to open the newly expanded school in August 2023.