St. Francis de Sales High School will become the latest Catholic high school in Toledo to add junior high grades.

The high school plans to add the two grades next school year, said the Rev. Geoffrey Rose, who is currently vice president of the school and will take over July 1 from longtime president the Rev. Ronald Olszewski. The school’s board of trustees approved the plan in December, and Bishop Daniel Thomas has given permission to make the additions.

While St. Francis has contemplated adding grades in the past, greater interest developed after Lourdes University closed its Franciscan Academy last year, Father Rose said.

St. Francis joins St. John’s Jesuit, St. Ursula, and Notre Dame as Catholic high schools with junior highs. Cardinal Stritch in Oregon also has an affiliated school on campus, St. Kateri Catholic Academy.

School officials only plan to open one class section for each grade, with about 20 to 25 students in each section. Current AP economics teacher James Neary will serve as seventh and eighth-grade dean, while continuing as a teacher.

St. Francis is purposefully not calling the addition an “academy” as some schools have done. Junior high-aged students will follow the same schedule as older students and some may take high school level courses. While the school will likely house most of the junior high program in one wing of the building, the students won’t be secluded.

“Our ability to grant high school credit for middle grade students will afford them increased possibilities at the high school level,” principal Eric Smola said.

St. Francis’ addition would create competition for the city’s parochial schools. The general reaction from other schools, Father Rose said, has been that competition can only make them stronger.

“We believe strongly in the unique, innovative, and nurturing setting we provide our boys in the SJJ Academy, but like it is now at the high school level, families will make the educational choice for their sons based on what school suits them best,” St. John’s spokesman Zach Silka said.

Diocese of Toledo officials were not available for comment Wednesday evening.

For now, Father Rose said, St. Francis does not have plans to add a sixth grade.

The school will hold information nights Jan. 29 and Feb. 19. Information is available at sfstoledo.org, or by contacting Mr. Smola at 419-531-1618.

Contact Nolan Rosenkrans at: nrosenkrans@theblade.com or 419-724-6086, or on Twitter @NolanRosenkrans.

First Published January 15, 2015, 5:00 a.m.