Catholic high school in St. Louis area won't add middle school grades

De Smet Jesuit High School in Creve Coeur, Mo., has decided for now not to add middle school grades. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that school officials made decision was made “out of respect for the concerns the Archbishop of St. Louis shared with us." The independent Catholic high school spent five months exploring the possibility of adding grades 6 through 8. Based on the results alone, De Smet was inclined to move forward, but Archbishop Robert Carlson, Catholic schools Superintendent George Henry and the Archdiocesan Presbyteral Council worried that opening a middle school at De Smet could draw students away from parish elementary schools.