Our History

OLMC was established in 1863 by various immigrant groups within the Boonton area. The school thrived for more than 130 years; however, despite a proud educational tradition and strong community support, the 2000s and 2010s ushered in a period of financial pressures, cultural skepticism, and an increasingly muddled mission. Enrollment began to dwindle and the school faced an escalating risk of closure with every passing year, finally hitting a record low of 77 students in 2015. 

Then in 2016, new pastoral and administrative leadership instituted a bold plan that overhauled the curriculum, re-trained existing faculty and brought in fresh faces with a passion for the reimagined approach, cast an unprecedented recruiting net, and increased fundraising to extraordinary levels. The strategy found expression through four pillars: a classical approach to education that prioritizes independent thinking and collaborative, interdisciplinary learning; a dedication to authentic Catholic identity; a commitment to academic excellence across every subject area; and an emphasis on character formation.

The plan worked. Within five years, OLMC became well-known around the state - and across the socioeconomic spectrum - as a highly desirable educational option for children in pre-k through eighth grade. More than a dozen families actually moved into the Boonton area to be within a reasonable distance, an effect even the leadership hadn’t anticipated. Several more committed to half-hour or longer commutes. And it wasn’t just families who flocked to OLMC: devoted teachers saw in the school an opportunity to become the professionals they longed to be, and while the rest of the country faced a significant teacher shortage, OLMC grew its ranks every year.

The next five years witnessed an even deeper and more mature kind of success. Enrollment continued to climb (and more families continued to move into the area), the academic program grew in sophistication and depth, and faculty formation became an increasingly intentional and integral part of the school’s culture. The school’s reputation continued to grow, its community became more deeply rooted, and its original vision took hold in ways that extended well beyond the lower school. Importantly, the school’s fundraising kept pace with increased demand, keeping the dream of an OLMC education accessible to families without the ability to pay a private school tuition.

Most significantly, these years gave rise to a new high school, founded by parents who loved what OLMC had given their children and faculty who recognized the importance of carrying the school’s distinctive classical Catholic approach through the high school years. Established as a separate institution, Lumen Gentium Academy was built upon the same educational philosophy and four foundational pillars, offering students the opportunity to continue their classical Catholic formation through graduation and into adulthood. What had begun as the rescue and renewal of a struggling parish school became the foundation for a comprehensive educational vision spanning the full arc of a child’s formation.

Early in its second decade since the 2016 renewal, OLMC entered another significant chapter: the formal unification of a preK-12 school, with OLMC serving as the lower and middle divisions (pre-K through fifth grade; sixth through eighth grade, respectively) and Lumen Gentium Academy as the upper division (ninth through twelfth grade). This transition built upon an established partnership, reflecting a shared commitment to creating one coherent educational community spanning the earliest grades through high school. 

As part of this process, OLMC school became a non-Diocesan entity, positioning the school to take greater responsibility for its own financial and strategic vitality while preserving its close friendship and longstanding relationship with the Diocese. As always, the Diocese continues to recognize OLMC as a partner school, even as OLMC pursues its own distinct educational pathway.