Villa Maria's co-educational direction proves successful - Record admissions for Secondary I at Villa Maria for the 2016-2017 school year

MONTREAL, Nov. 26, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ -  At the end of the Secondary I registration period at Villa Maria High School for the 2016-2017 school year, the management team is pleased to announce that admissions have far exceeded its forecasts for the next school year. Villa Maria noted a major increase in admissions - approximately 30% for both its Francophone and Anglophone sectors.

"These results confirm the correctness of our shift to co-education, a necessity to increase our pool of students and ensure our institution's sustainability," explains Marie Anna Bacchi, Director General of Villa Maria. "The progressive admission of boys indicates that the school's new direction meets a real need. In fact, boys will represent about 20% of new students in 2016."

After a rigorous planning exercise conducted in 2014-2015, Villa Maria decided to implement three main strategic directions to assure the school's future. Apart from gradually implementing co-education, Villa Maria will actively pursue integration of innovative learning technologies, grouped under the Education 3.0 project. It will overhaul its academic programs and add new concentrations.

"The boys will arrive in the student body gradually," Ms. Bacchi specifies. "Next years, boys will only be present in Secondary I. This means that the current 2015-2016 cohort, admitted in September, is the last to include only female students. We will spare no effort so that the transition enables everyone, boys and girls, to receive an education using modern teaching methods focusing on their strengths and on openness to the world in an egalitarian and respectful context. "

About Villa Maria High School

Villa Maria High School is a private co-educational institution that provides secondary-level education, in English and in French, to close to 1,400 students. It is the only secondary-level institution to offer a bilingual environment in Quebec. Villa Maria's mission is to allow every boy and girl to reach his or her full potential, thanks to personalized support. In over 160 years, the school has acquired a solid reputation, with the quality of its education being widely recognized. Declared a historic site in 1951, Villa Maria is located on a breathtaking campus and offers a learning environment that enables students to flourish.

SOURCE Villa Maria High School

Béatrice Gougeon, Morin Public Relations, [email protected], Cellular: 514-688-3936; Amély Tremblay, Morin Public Relations, [email protected], Cellular: 514-774-8522