Bishop Fenwick High School (better known simply as "Fenwick") is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

Peabody, Massachusetts Peabody () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 54,481 at the time of the 2020 United States census. Peabody is located in the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore region of Massachusetts, and is known ...

. While located in the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Boston () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in eastern Massachusetts in the United States. Its mother church is the Cathedral of the Holy Cross (Boston), Cathedral o ...

, the school is operated independently and with the blessing of the Archdiocese. Students who attend Bishop Fenwick come from over 40 towns and communities in New England, primarily those closest to the campus such as Saugus, Salem, Peabody, Beverly, Marblehead, and

Danvers, Massachusetts Danvers is a New England town, town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the Danvers River near the northeastern coast of Massachusetts. The suburb is a fairly short ride from Boston and is also in close proximity to the beach ...

. The school also has a small number of international students, having welcomed its first international students in 2014.

History

Bishop Fenwick High School was founded in 1959 by the late Cardinal

Richard Cushing Richard James Cushing (August 24, 1895 – November 2, 1970) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Boston from 1944 to 1970 and was made a cardinal in 1958. Cushing's main role was as fundraiser and builder ...

and was named for the second

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of Boston,

Benedict Joseph Fenwick Benedict Joseph Fenwick (September 3, 1782 – August 11, 1846) was an American Catholic prelate, Jesuit, and educator who served as the Bishop of Boston from 1825 until his death in 1846. In 1843, he founded the College of the Holy Cross in ...

, S.J. The school was the first coeducational Catholic high school on Boston's North Shore and was staffed by the

Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur (Congregationis Sororum a Domina Nostra Namurcensi) is a Catholic Church, Catholic Religious institute (Catholic), institute of religious sisters, founded to teaching order, provide education to the poor. The i ...

. In 2003, the

Archdiocese of Boston The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Boston () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in eastern Massachusetts in the United States. Its mother church is the Cathedral of the Holy Cross (Boston), Cathedral o ...

relinquished control of its "Central High Schools," including Fenwick, in response to financial difficulties in the wake of the child sex abuse scandal. The Archdiocese still owns the property and is involved in school governance, making appointments to the board of trustees; for that reason it is not considered truly independent. It is, however, financially independent of the umbrella of the archdiocese of Boston. As of the 2018-19 school year, it was one of the ten largest coeducational high schools in the Archdiocese of Boston, with a student body of 565. In the summer of 2018, it was announced that Fenwick will assume sponsorship of St. Mary of the Annunciation School in Danvers, Massachusetts.

Athletics

Bishop Fenwick's Crusaders have athletic programs in 26 interscholastic sports at a variety of levels, primarily competing in the Boston area's Catholic Central League. In August 2023, the school was banned from MIAA sports based competitions for the 2023-2024 school year.

Tuition

Tuition for the 2023-2024 academic year is $19,750.

Notable alumni

* Frederick Berry, disability rights advocate and member of Massachusetts senate * Pat Downey, football player *

Matt Farley Matt Farley (born June 3, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, filmmaker, author and podcaster who has released more than 26,000 songs . Farley's creative output is released under his label Motern Media, and he usually presents his ...

, musician and film-maker *

Alex Newell Alex Eugene Newell (born August 20, 1992) is an American actor and singer. They are known for their role as Unique Adams on the Fox musical series ''Glee'' and Mo on ''Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist''. Newell also starred as Asaka in the Broadwa ...

, actor and singer * Ashley Phillips, soccer player *

Sonja Santelises Sonja Santelises has been the CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools since May 2016. Biography Sonja Santelises (née Brookins) was raised in Peabody, Massachusetts, just north of Boston. Her father Jackson Andrew Brookins was a chemist from Miss ...

, school district administrator

Notes and references

External links

School Website
{{authority control High schools in Essex County, Massachusetts Educational institutions established in 1959 Catholic secondary schools in Massachusetts 1959 establishments in Massachusetts Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur schools Buildings and structures in Peabody, Massachusetts