DOVER — Holy Cross High School has received final approval from the Kent County Regional Planning Commission to move forward with the development of its permanent campus in Frederica, the school announced last week.
The commission granted unanimous approval at its meeting on Sept. 10. According to Holy Cross High School, the decision does not need to go before the Kent County Levy Court, the county’s governing body.
“This is a defining moment in the history of Holy Cross High School,” said the head of school, Thomas S. Fertal. “From the beginning, our mission has been to establish a faithful, academically excellent, joyfully Catholic high school to serve families in Kent and Sussex counties. This approval brings that vision one major step closer to reality.”
The planned campus will be located west of Frederica, near the intersection of Johnny Cake Landing Road and Carpenter Bridge Road. The main school building will measure 90,600 square feet, along with two accessory buildings at 4,500 square feet. The plans also include a chapel, technology center, medical sciences suite, theater, art and music wing, gymnasium, broadcast studio, athletic fields, tennis courts and other spaces.
In addition to the academic buildings and athletic facilities, the approved plan includes site access, parking, stormwater management, utility service and a gated emergency-access point from the Sophia’s Landing neighborhood to the east.
School officials anticipate opening the new facility in the fall of 2028. Holy Cross currently operates from a temporary facility in Camden.
The new campus, Fertal said, “will be a permanent home for the formation of young men and women who will be prepared to think deeply, live virtuously, lead courageously, and serve faithfully.”
Holy Cross High School opened in 2025 as an independent Catholic high school with a classical curriculum. It currently serves students from Kent and Sussex counties.
The school is raising money through its Founders Campaign, which seeks to generate $29 million in donations to establish the permanent campus and provide operational support for its first three years.
