Washington D.C., Jan 19, 2006 / 22:00 pm
The Archdiocese of Washington has partnered with the Salesians of Don Bosco to open a new high school, which will offer a work-study program aimed at providing low-income students with "an affordable college-prep Catholic education."
The new school, Cristo Rey, will open in 2007 in the building that is currently used for Our Lady of Sorrows Elementary School, reported the Associated Press. The parish elementary school will close, and the children will be transferred to a nearby school in September.
Cristo Rey is the first new high school for the archdiocese since 1951. Cristo Rey schools exist across the country. There are currently 11 Cristo Rey schools in the U.S. Another eight are expected to open in the next two years, reported the AP.
Students at Cristo Rey spend four days a week in the classroom and one day at a local business, which pays a nonprofit corporation for the students' work. This money, in turn, pays most of the tuition costs.