Marmion Academy, a college-prep high school for boys in Aurora, has announced it intends to begin accepting female students as early as the 2026-27 school year.
In a news release on Tuesday, officials at the school at 1000 Butterfield Road announced it will implement a hybrid co-ed model after more than 90 years as single-sex, all-boys school.
The announcement follows a Nov. 16 vote by the Marmion Abbey chapter of monks to approve the planning and implementation of the co-ed hybrid model, officials said.
“Throughout our long history, Marmion Academy has implemented changes in its structure, while remaining true to our values of academic achievement, spiritual formation and character development for our students,” said Abbot Joel Rippinger of Marmion Abbey. “After a year of intense study, discernment and prayerful reflection, we’ve determined that it was the right time to make this change. Our values, rooted in the Catholic Benedictine tradition, will remain at the heart of our mission.”
The news release said early outlines of the new model would have freshman and sophomore students attending single gender classes. Juniors and seniors would attend co-ed classrooms. Other details, including exact timelines, will take shape over the next several months, the news release said.
“We are confident that this move is in the best interests of our students and the needs of our community,” said Rippinger. “We look forward to this new chapter in our history and the many opportunities it will bring for our students.”
Rippinger, in the release, outlined some benefits of moving to a co-ed environment.
The model will prepare students for the “diverse, interconnected world they will encounter after graduation,” the release said.
A co-ed setting will also foster richer discussions, a variety of perspectives and essential collaborative skills, according to the release.
The change also meets the needs of the Catholic community in the Fox Valley and surrounding areas and will position “Marmion for long-term growth,” the release said.
Many families “value the Benedictine tradition and Catholic education and are eager to provide their daughters with the transformative experience that Marmion Academy offers,” officials said in the release.
It is not the first major move the academy has made through the years. In 1971, Marmion closed the Lake Street campus in Aurora to bring the student body to one campus. In 1994, Marmion transitioned from Marmion Military Academy to Marmion Academy, and in 2002, it closed its residential program.
“All these shifts were instrumental in shaping the Marmion Academy of today,” officials said in the release.
In the coming months, Marmion officials said the school will be in conversation with students, parents, faculty and the greater school community to examine the best ways to make the change to a co-ed campus.
slord@tribpub.com
