La Salle to become coed in 2021
Board of trustees vote unanimously to historic change at institution
La Salle Institute, a Catholic all-boys private school on the border of Troy and North Greenbush, announced on Wednesday that it will admit girls beginning in September 2021.
The announcement comes after a unanimous vote from the college-preparatory school’s board of trustees.
“This decision is consistent with our desire to be proactively forward-thinking and assure a strong future for our school,” Edward Ryan, chairman of the board of trustees, stated in a news release.
The school, on Williams Road, was founded in 1850, and since then has taught boys in grades 6-12.
La Salle Institute Principal Joseph Raczkowski said the decision to begin enrolling girls has nothing to do with admission numbers or financial is
sues.
“I want to say upfront that our decision to expand La Salle to a coeducation model is not about surviving. It’s about thriving,” he said.
Raczkowski said the school’s enrollment has been steadily increasing over the past several years — even as the number of boys seeking a private Catholic education in the Capital Region has been slowly decreasing.
“We have made this decision now because, after 170 years of La
Salle’s presence in Troy, the time has come as we consider the strength and longevity of the La Salle Institute,” Raczkowski said. “If not now, it perhaps should’ve been done a lot sooner. Change is just part of life.”
Eight committees are looking into how to best integrate girls into the
school by next year.
Raczkowski said all the classrooms will be fully integrated, but the school
does plan to separate one gym for boys, the other for girls, and the school will add two more women’s bathrooms. Eight to 10 families have told the school they ’re interested in enrolling their daughters, Raczkowski said.
The school, which often refers to its students as cadets, said its program is not explicitly militaristic in nature, but it does have a “flavor of military.” Raczkowski said the school’s program is more about leadership.
“All our boys take leadership classes, and we would hope that all the girls take leadership classes,” Raczkowski said.
“We have a committee that will be looking into that very carefully.”
The school has 375 boys enrolled, but can accommodate 430 students, and up to 600 students if more faculty and staff are hired.
For parents who were only interested in sending their sons to La Salle because it is an all-boys school, Raczkowski said they should give the school a chance.
“Let us talk to you and your sons,” he said. “And if you still think that the most important thing in your son’s life is singlegender education, we’re no longer doing that.”