About

Notre Dame High School was founded in 1946 by the Holy Cross Brothers, who came to this hilltop in West Haven with a donated hall, eight acres, and a conviction that a school could form a young person completely. Eighty years on, we remain a school sponsored by the Congregation of Holy Cross and shaped by the mission they entrusted to us: to inspire academic excellence, nurture personal growth, and foster integrity and compassion in students of diverse talents, backgrounds, and beliefs through our Catholic, Holy Cross tradition. Our students gain the Character to Lead, the Compassion to Serve, and the Confidence to Excel. Much about this school has changed across eight decades; that purpose has not. It rests on four Holy Cross pillars — Educating Minds and Hearts, Bringing Hope, Building Respect, and Being Family — and on the words of Blessed Basil Moreau, founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross: "How we educate the mind will change with the times; how we cultivate the heart will remain timeless."

This year, our community has taken up Being Family as its guiding theme, and I can think of no better time for it. We are in our second year as a coeducational school, and what began as a historic decision has quietly become simply who we are. Young men and young women now learn, compete, pray, and serve side by side across three of our four classes. Our mission has always spoken of students of diverse talents, backgrounds, and beliefs; this is that mission lived more fully, exactly as Blessed Moreau envisioned nearly two centuries ago.

Notre Dame remains committed to an education that is both intentional and transformational. We are one of the few independent schools in Connecticut to offer the prestigious International Baccalaureate (IB) Program, alongside Advanced Placement courses and UConn's Early College Experience. Our signature programs in Engineering and Design and in Sports, Exercise, and Health Science allow students to explore their passions and discover new ones, while the Notre Dame Experiential Learning Program (NDXL) bridges the classroom and the real world. That commitment does not end at graduation. Through our partnerships with the University of New Haven and Quinnipiac University, Notre Dame graduates who continue on to either institution do so with half their tuition covered — a substantial head start on the cost of college, and a measure of how our university neighbors regard the students we form.

Our students thrive well beyond the classroom. We are proud of an athletic tradition that has produced more than 40 state championships, and prouder still to be building that tradition anew with both men's and women's teams. Students perform in award-winning music and theater programs, gather for prayer, worship, and retreats through a vibrant Campus Ministry, and serve those in need as part of their curriculum and through mission activities.

Thanks to the success of our recent Comprehensive Campaign, we have completed one of the most significant renovations in our school's history. Our student commons, renovated cafeteria, and modernized classrooms have transformed daily life here and stand ready for the community we are becoming.

What I hope you sense when you walk our halls is a family that knows its purpose. Integrity and compassion are not lessons we teach alongside the curriculum; they are the point of it. A Holy Cross education forms graduates who carry hope with them wherever they go — which is what the Brothers came here to do. That is the work of this school, and it is why I am grateful every day to be part of it.

I warmly invite you to visit and experience for yourself what we call the Notre Dame Advantage.

Robert F. Curis, P '25
President, Notre Dame High School

Head of School

Robert Curis, P'25
President

President Robert F. Curis is the 11th President of Notre Dame High School and its first lay leader. A native of West Hartford, President Curis received his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame, and a Master’s Degree from Georgetown University. Before his appointment to Notre Dame in 2015, he served as Assistant Head of School at the Whitby School in Greenwich, CT. Prior to that, he was named the founding Dean of the American University in Kosovo. He also served as a Holy Cross Associate Volunteer in Portland, Oregon, and a Peace Corps volunteer in Albania.

As a student and an educator, President Curis has been inspired by our Holy Cross mission. During his tenure, Notre Dame has launched a number of transformational initiatives, including the introduction of the International Baccalaureate Program, the development of signature programs highlighting experiential learning, and a renovation of the school. 

Robert and his wife Edlira have three children: Emma, a senior at the University of Findlay in Ohio; Reamon, a sophomore at the University of Notre Dame, and Fiona, a freshman at the University of Notre Dame.

Listen to why ND IS a special place