History of Holy Rosary
Holy Rosary Academy is a unique school that provides a quality education for students who have learning differences. HRA not only meets our students' academic needs but also addresses their social, emotional, spiritual, behavioral, and fraternal needs in an integrated manner. HRA ensures the academic success of our children while developing their ethics, values, and social and community awareness.
HRA began educating children in 1908 and, remarkably, has come full circle in meeting the needs of the community with a growing school.
Families continue to choose Holy Rosary because we provide an environment that makes their children feel wanted, important and successful. Students are taught to recognize their own learning styles and compensate for any learning differences they may have.
In 1908 Our Lady of the Holy Rosary parish established a school and opened its doors in September to 42 students. By December, the enrollment increased by 126%. Five years later, in 1913, the parish constructed a two-story frame school building which housed four classrooms along with a lunch and bathroom area. In the 1930's the middle hall was constructed at the school's present site to accommodate the growing needs of the school and in the following decade the "T" wings were added to the middle hall. In 1958, Holy Rosary expanded even further when the cafeteria, gymnasium and kindergarten rooms were added to the school.
Unfortunately, in 1990, the residents of the neighborhood were growing older and enrollment declined, so the school closed its doors. In 1996, realizing the need in the community to educate children with learning difficulties, the Very Rev. James Tarantino, V.F. re-opened the school as HolyRosary Academy as a boys' middle school.
In 2000, Michael Binder, a social worker, was hired to be the new principal of HRA, and the school expanded to 1 st through 8 th grade with an enrollment of 60 children. The next year HRA opened it doors to girls and the enrollment increased to 125.
Demonstrating the great need for a school like Holy Rosary in the New Orleans area, the Academy quadrupled in size by August of 2004. Father William Maestri, Superintendent of the Office of Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of New Orleans approached the HRA administration about continuing their mission to educate children with learning differences on the high school level. In 2005, Holy Rosary High School opened its doors to 33 Freshman and Sophomore students on the campus of the former St. Lawrence the Martyr School in Metairie. Nine days after classes began, Hurricane Katrina devastated the New Orleans area and displaced Holy Rosary families throughout the country. Luckily, both the Academy and High School campuses sustained minimal damage. Because of the lack of services in the city, the Holy Rosary administrators decided to house the Academy students and faculty on the high school campus for the remainder of the academic year. On October 7, the school re-opened with 115 elementary students and 23 high school students.
In 2007, Leonard E. Enger II was appointed principal of HRHS.