Outgrowing the school Students packed in classrooms as Catholic Schools seeks final funds for new building

The sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders at Saint Francis Upper school have a small strip of grass outside of the building, but the play area is mostly blacktop.

And while the 100-year-old, three-story building has newer windows and other updates, there’s one set of bathrooms. That’s in the lower level.

Some facility challenges exist at Billings Catholic Schools’ collection of buildings that are scattered around town. A main issue is that the schools are at or near capacity.

“Our buildings at the primary level and at the upper buildings are packed and really can accommodate no more,” said Shaun Harrington, president of Billings Catholic Schools. “So it’s hard to grow the system when you have people on a waiting list.”

The private schools are on the cusp of a massive, $18 million building project that will put students from kindergarten to eighth grade under one roof. Administrators still plan to break ground this spring, though the proposed March deadline window is quickly closing.

From Pre-K through eighth grade, Billings Catholic Schools’ students attend class in one of three buildings. The Saint Francis Primary school over on Custer Avenue has 293 students in Pre-K, kindergarten, first and second grades.

“The challenge for the primary building is that we’re really full,” Harrington said.