# Rosati-Kain High School

Rosati-Kain Academy (Formerly Rosati-Kain High School) is an all-girls Catholic high school in St. Louis, Missouri. Rosati-Kain is accredited as a college preparatory school by the North Central Association, the Missouri Department of Education, and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis.

## History

Opened under the name Rosati-Kain High School, Rosati was the first Archdiocesan high school in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis. In 1911, the School Sisters of Notre Dame and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet joined their two centers to start the school and begin educating young women. The institution is named for bishops Joseph Rosati and John Joseph Kain.
Between the years of 1911 and 1920, the nuns served as faculty and taught without being paid. They supported the operational expenses of the school by selling needlework and teaching music. In 1919, the school had outgrown its building at the St. Vincent Seminary site at Lucas and Grand Avenues. The school moved to the Hayes Mansion on Newstead at the corner of Lindell Blvd. and Newstead Ave.
In 1921, the Hayes Mansion was moved to make room to build a new larger structure designed by architect Henry P. Hess. This structure was completed in 1922 and remains the main building for Rosati-Kain. In 1941, the gymnasium, cafeteria, and music room were added to the property with funding raised by the Alumnae Association.
By the mid 1940s, more than 1,000 students attended Rosati-Kain in two different shifts, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Rosati-Kain became the first high school in the St. Louis area to integrate, enrolling five African-American students in 1946. Rosati-Kain has changed greatly over the past 100 years, morphing from a typical all-female finishing school to become a college preparatory high school for girls.
The 2011-12 school year marked the 100th anniversary of Rosati-Kain, and the institution held a year-long Centennial Celebration at that time. A new school song was written specifically for the Centennial Celebration by faculty members Luanne Murphy and Laura Govero-Yann.
On September 28, 2022, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the Archdiocese of Saint Louis planned to close Rosati-Kain along with St. Mary's High School at the end of the 2022-2023 school year. The school closures appeared to be part of the archdioceses' "All Things New Plan," which closed dozens of parishes and grade schools. In December 2022, it was announced that the school would remain open under a new name, Rosati-Kain Academy. With support from its alumnae and others in the community—and without archdiocesan support—Rosati completed its first year as an independent school, graduating 43 seniors in May 2023 and ending the fiscal year with a budget surplus.

## Awards

In 2009, BusinessWeek Magazine and GreatSchools.net named Rosati-Kain the Top Parents' Choice Private High School in the state of Missouri.

## Campus

Located in St. Louis' historic Central West End, Rosati-Kain is located just east of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis.

## Students

Rosati-Kain is a geographically diverse girls high school in the St. Louis metropolitan area, with students representing 47 zip codes throughout the metropolitan St. Louis area, including St. Louis City and St. Louis County, Jefferson County, St. Charles County and Illinois (64 zip codes and 118 elementary schools). Admission is based on standardized test scores and grade school records. To be accepted into Rosati-Kain, an applicant should meet the following criteria: an A/B average for grades 6, 7 and 8; standardized test scores in the 70th percentile or above for grades 6, 7 and 8; and a good conduct and attendance record for grades 6, 7 and 8.

## Notable alumni

* Morgan DeBaun, founder of Blavity
* Irene Hannon, author
* Margie Imo, co-founder of Imo's Pizza
* Ann Leckie, author
* Ellen Foley, actress/singer
* Robin Ransom, first African-American woman appointed to the Missouri Supreme Court
* Jasmine Crockett, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 30th district

## Sources

Hafertepe, Sr. Joseph Andre (1997), The History of Rosati-Kain - Rosati-Kain Official Archives, St. Louis{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Ness, Angela (2006), "Happy Birthday Rosati-Kain" - R-K Today Alumnae Publication, St. Louis{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Fallenger, S. Alvera (1949), The History and Development of Rosati-Kain High School, St. Louis{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
The Rosati-Kain Alumnae Association Golden Jubilee Booklet, St. Louis, 1965{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Wildt, Sister Carol Marie (2006), Rosati-Kain High School Illustrates Many Firsts, St. Louis{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
History and Mission of Rosati-Kain - Rosati-Kain Official Archives, St. Louis, 1997{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)