Loyola Catholic School

Loyola Catholic School is located in Mankato, Minnesota. The school is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Winona-Rochester and serves students in PreK-Grade 12. History The first Catholic school in Mankato was started at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in 1865. Other elementary schools in Mankato/North Mankato were founded at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in 1925, St. John The Baptist Catholic Church in 1942, and St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in 1958. The first Catholic high school in Mankato was founded as Loyola High School in 1908. In addition, Good Counsel Academy was opened as a boarding school for girls in 1912. In 1969, all 7th and 8th grade students at Catholic elementary schools were consolidated at Edmund Fitzgerald Middle School in Mankato. Loyola High School moved to its current campus on Good Counsel Hill in 1982 after Good Counsel Academy closed two years earlier. All schools incorporated together in 1990, and this organization was named Loyola Catholic School in 2006. In 2005, all students in grade 4 and grade 5 were moved to the Fitzgerald campus to join grades 6-8 who were already at that campus. In 2017, Loyola closed the Fitzgerald Campus and moved all students to the Good Counsel Campus. Good Counsel Campus The Good Counsel Campus is located on Good Counsel Hill in Mankato, MN. The hill is located on the eastern side of Mankato, and the water tower on the Hill can be seen from most parts of town. The elementary part of the school is located in a wing of the building, while the high school occupies the rest of the building. There are about twenty students in each class. The curriculum of the school includes four years required of religion, math and English and three years of social studies, and science. The curriculum also requires two years of foreign language (French and Spanish are offered). There are four Advanced Placement (AP) classes offered at Loyola Catholic School. They are AP Calculus, AP Biology, AP Government, and AP English. All of the AP courses offer students the chance to gain college credit. The high school also is a member of the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL). Activities The school won the 2009 Minnesota State Knowledge Bowl Meet, qualified for the 2008 State Meet and placed 5th at the 1999 State Meet. In 2009, Loyola produced the state champions of the Division A Minnesota State Knowledge Bowl Meet. Also, the school produces one three-act play in the fall, usually a musical.