Grand Forks expands its Catholic education with a new middle school

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (KVRR) — Monday marked the beginning of the construction of a nearly $13 million new Catholic middle school. The school is to be named after the modern saint, St. Carlo Acutis.

“The opportunity to begin this new middle school named for St. Carlo Acutis really is a cause for great joy. And I’m just so grateful, of course, to God for giving us this opportunity, but certainly to all the leadership and all the faithful people here in Grand Forks for helping to bring this about,” said Bishop John Folda, Diocese of Fargo.

As of the 2025-2026 school year, St. Michael’s Elementary School has accepted the first sixth-grade classes as part of the new middle school, with seventh grade to be added in the coming school year, and eighth grade in 2027.

“Our neighbors at Sacred Heart across the river have been prospering in Catholic education. Their K-12 system is going well. They are nearly full, if not at a waiting list, for at least some of their elementary school classes. Had that not been the case, I think our deliberations would have been different,” said Father James Gross, Pastor at St. Mary’s in Grand Forks.

The newly built schools will be open for up to 150 students in 6th to 8th grade. The building will have dedicated STEAM classrooms where students will receive hands-on opportunities in science, technology, engineering, art, and math. It will also include a media center and a prayer room.

“We’ve seen that the desire for Catholic education for Catholic schools has rebounded. And we have seen new Catholic schools opening up. Not just this one, but others as well. Or we’ve seen grades added to Catholic schools that already exist. So, that’s very, very encouraging,” said Folda.

The middle school is expected to be completed by November 2027.