Contact Patrick Slattery at pjslattery@xbss.org for the full position profile
July 1, 2027 Start Date
Lowell Catholic is a Preschool through Grade 12 Catholic school located in Lowell, Massachusetts, serving approximately 700 students and families from across the Merrimack Valley and southern New Hampshire.
Lowell Catholic enters its next chapter from a position of mission strength and institutional opportunity. Rooted in the Catholic and Xaverian traditions, Lowell Catholic combines strong academics, a deep commitment to faith formation, and a welcoming environment that reflects the diversity and vitality of the broader Lowell community. The school’s location in one of New England’s most historically rich and culturally diverse cities provides unique opportunities to serve families seeking a values-based education within an accessible and community-oriented environment. Lowell’s continued revitalization, proximity to Boston, and growing network of educational, healthcare, and business partners position the school well for future collaboration and growth.
Following nearly 25 years of dedicated leadership from its retiring Head of School, Lowell Catholic enters this transition with a strong sense of mission, institutional stability, and community commitment. Stakeholders consistently describe LowellCatholic as a school with a compelling story to tell, one grounded in opportunity, service, faith, and the transformational impact of education in an urban and multicultural community. The school’s mission resonates strongly with alumni, donors, and philanthropic partners who recognize the importance of sustaining vibrant Catholic education in communities like Lowell.
The next leader of Lowell Catholic will have the opportunity to:
At the same time, the school faces many of the realities common to Catholic independent schools nationally. Enrollment has remained generally stable over the past decade, fluctuating between approximately 680 and 720 students, but sustaining and ideally growing enrollment will require continued strategic focus and creativity. The next Head of School must be an energetic ambassador for Lowell Catholic, working closely with the Director of Enrollment and administrative teams to communicate the school’s strengths to a broader audience while recognizing the financial constraints many families face.
Expanding financial aid resources and increasing donor and foundation support will be essential to ensuring accessibility and long-term sustainability. The school has also grown from a single-building campus to a multi-building PreK-12 community over the past decade. As with many growing institutions, this evolution presents opportunities to further strengthen collaboration, communication, and a shared sense of identity across divisions and departments, fostering an increasingly unified, one Lowell Catholic culture. The school also seeks a leader who recognizes the importance of attracting, developing, and retaining talented faculty and staff in an increasingly competitive educational labor market. Similarly, working with the academic administrative team to strengthen Lowell Catholic’s academic distinction by advancing innovative programs (e.g. STEM, emerging technologies, etc.) and expanding support to students with diverse learning profiles will help differentiate the school from the increasingly competitive educational marketplace.
The ideal candidate will view these realities not simply as challenges, but as opportunities for mission-driven leadership. Lowell Catholic seeks a relational, faith filled, and highly strategic leader who is excited by the prospect of strengthening a school with deep roots, strong community support, and meaningful momentum. The next Head of School will have the opportunity to forge new partnerships across both Greater Lowell and the Boston metro, deepen engagement with alumni and benefactors, and guide a school whose Catholic and Xaverian identity remains both vibrant and deeply relevant in today’s educational landscape.
The new Head of School will be a practicing Catholic in good standing who is faithful to the traditions and teachings of the Church and committed to the mission of a Xaverian Brothers Sponsored School. The Head of School will demonstrate integrity beyond reproach and exhibit genuine care for students, families, faculty, staff, alumni, and benefactors. She/He will be a highly visible and relational leader who embraces the life of the school beyond the classroom, engaging actively with students, families, faculty, staff, athletics, co-curricular activities, alumni, and community events. She/He will recognize the important role athletics, student activities, and co-curricular programs play in building community, supporting enrollment, and enriching the student experience. The successful candidate will be welcoming, trustworthy, compassionate, and empathetic while strongly supporting the school’s inclusive mission and its responsibility to serve a diverse community.
The Head of School will be a dynamic and practical leader with the spiritual depth, emotional intelligence, and institutional discipline needed to guide Lowell Catholic through both challenges and opportunities. The successful candidate must be able to build trust, communicate clearly, make difficult decisions when necessary, and inspire others to invest in the school’s future. A deep commitment to Catholic education, spiritual formation, educational excellence, affordability, and the dignity of every student will be essential.
Rooted in a rich tradition of Catholic education, the school traces its heritage to several historic institutions in the city, including Keith Academy, Keith Hall, Keith Catholic, St. Joseph High School, St. Patrick High School, and St. Louis Academy. In 2009, Lowell Catholic became a Xaverian Brothers Sponsored School in partnership with the Archdiocese of Boston, strengthening its commitment to the charism and educational vision of the Xaverian Brothers. The school further expanded its mission in 2016 with the incorporation of PreK-8 St. Margaret School, creating the current Preschool through Grade 12 educational community. Lowell Catholic occupies a distinctive place in the region. It is a relational, mission-centered school in one of Massachusetts’ most culturally rich and economically diverse cities.
The successful candidate will understand and commit to the unique socioeconomic, cultural, linguistic, and educational diversity of the families served by Lowell Catholic and will be responsible to ensuring that institutional decisions remain centered on the needs of students and families. Lowell’s history as a gateway city, its immigrant communities, its proximity to the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and its identity as a center of learning, arts, industry, and renewal all shape the opportunity before the school. The next Head of School will lead a model of Catholic education that is accessible, personal, academically purposeful, and deeply connected to the needs and aspirations of local families.
Interested candidates are to submit, electronically, the following materials:
Materials are to be addressed to the "Lowell Catholic Head of School Search Committee" and sent electronically, preferably as one file, to:
Dr. Patrick Slattery - Executive Director, Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools
pjslattery@xbss.org | 443-939-0124