John Paul II School (JPII) in Ridgeland, for grades 6-12, has in recent years added to its curriculum and is now one of the most sought-after schools in the area.

Now in its 12th year, JPII school has grown from 209 students in 2020 to 410 in 2024. When the school originally opened, it had only 57 children in grades 7-9. As the population grew, there haven’t been upgrades made to the original building. Currently, the school is operating in a space planned for just 200 students.

To accommodate the doubled number of students, the school added 10 modular classrooms, but that isn’t enough, simply because the area is seeing continual expansion. So, John Paul II is planning a 48,000-square-foot space called the Innovation Center for high school students. The new academic space will focus on science, engineering and the arts, including a multipurpose black box theater to accommodate their growing music and theater programs. The current building will then be for grades 6-8. The plan is then to remove the modular classrooms.

John McCarthy, president of the school, said that population growth in local cities has contributed to the expanded student body, but he largely credits JPII’s outstanding academic program.

“We have seen growth in population in our area since COVID,” he said. “Bluffton, Beaufort, Ridgeland and Hardeeville are all growing. But that isn’t the only reason we are seeing an increase in our student population. We have established an academic program that is attracting students and families to our school. We have a strong Catholic identity matched with an excellent academic program.”

John Paul II offers 22 Advanced Placement (AP) courses that provide college credit, and 54 percent of the high school students are enrolled in at least one AP class. Other aspects that make John Paul II attractive are the 15 Project Lead the Way STEM courses in biomedical science, engineering and computer science, plus JPII is a Project Lead the Way School of Distinction — only one percent of schools in the country qualify. 

The school has had a 100 percent college acceptance rate for the last two years, and is a College Board Platinum School, the highest level for college prep, representing the top 6 percent of high schools in the U.S. and Canada.

“It’s a reality that students are going into college as sophomores, and we need to be able to offer that opportunity at our school,” he stated.

McCarthy added that the non-Catholic enrollment has also increased. He said that five years ago, they were at 83 percent Catholic; now they are at 73 percent Catholic, while doubling their numbers.

“I think we attract people of other faiths because of our academic program,” he explained.

But a growing Catholic population is a reality, too. McCarthy noted that St. Gregory the Great Church in Bluffton is one of the largest parishes in the state, along with St. Peter Church in Beaufort. 

He said that another great aspect of John Paul II are the scholarships available for underserved families in the area.

“We have kids of all academic levels, and we support all our students with four counselors here. I want to continue to broaden that base with families from all economic abilities,” he said.

McCarthy explained that their growth target is to be able to accommodate 540 total students, and the cost for the new building is estimated to be $26 million. However, they will need to raise $16 million on their own. He said that the campaign has raised over $8 million in cash and pledges, and they hope to break ground soon. The goal is an August 2026 opening.

McCarthy started at JPII in 2019. He relocated to the area from Massachusetts, where he worked for eight years as a superintendent. Before that, he worked for six years as a public high school principal, five years as principal of Rice Memorial Catholic High School in Vermont and 15 years as a high school history teacher, assistant principal and softball coach. He is now in his sixth year in Ridgeland.

“This job wasn’t in my plan; it was in God’s plan,” he said.

Hopefully, with prayer and work, expanding the John Paul II School is also.