Stella Maris Academy graduates first high school class in Duluth

Stella Maris Academy’s first high school class gave Duluth a concrete answer to a question that mattered from the start: could a brand-new Catholic high school in St. Louis County actually take root? The answer, at least for now, came in the form of 12 graduates in caps and gowns on May 27, closing a fast-moving rollout that began when the school opened its high school in the fall of 2022 with 15 to 20 freshmen.

The milestone carried more weight than a typical commencement. Stella Maris bought the former Hills/Woodlands Hills youth-services property in October 2021 for $4 million and turned the 140-acre site into a high school campus that the academy has described as the first traditional Catholic high school class in Duluth in more than 50 years. For families looking for an alternative to established options in the city, the school’s first graduation was evidence that a private, mission-driven model could move from concept to continuity in just a few years.

President Andrew Hilliker said the moment felt surreal and joyful, but also humbling, because the students helped shape the school’s identity from the beginning. That identity was not copied from another nearby school. Hilliker has said the high school had to redefine curriculum, teaching and formation, and a two-year partnership with the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education helped shape the program’s direction.

The school’s rapid growth shows how quickly that strategy gained traction. In a 2023 diocesan reflection, Stella Maris said freshmen used six different rooms during the inaugural year, five new teachers were hired for the 2023-24 school year, and 14 new activities were added to sports, clubs and organizations. The school was also accepted into the Minnesota State High School League, which put its teams and activities into regular-season, sectional and state competition.

The first graduating class was small, but that size gave it a tight-knit character. Senior Isaiah Bertin said students knew one another well and could support each other because everyone was always aware of what was happening in each other’s lives. Annabel Hanson described the class as feeling more like a family than a group of classmates.

That closeness now feeds directly into what comes next. Bertin plans to study criminal justice at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, while Hanson plans to start at Lake Superior College before transferring to Minnesota State University, Mankato, for sports management. For Stella Maris, the graduates are both proof of concept and a measure of momentum: a school that opened with a few dozen teenagers now has a full high school cycle, a growing activity list and a place in Duluth’s education market that did not exist four years ago.