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Martin Kilbridge sees single-sex education as both a successful way to teach students and as a selling point to families.
Kilbridge has been in private education for close to 30 years as a teacher, principal and now as president of Academy of the Holy Names in Albany.
The school, now in its 140th year, faces the same financial and demographic pressures other private schools in the region do.
But Holy Names has bucked the trends in recent years that have forced other schools to merge, reorganize or even close.
Enrollment is up, and Kilbridge says the metrics look even better for the next school year. It’s not just students in Albany, either. He notes girls attend from places more than an hour away from the school — something he also did when he went to an all-boys high school in San Francisco as a teenager.
“I think a lot of families are willing to make that sacrifice, and we appreciate it. And I think they recognize that value,” Kilbridge said.
Did you always know you wanted to be a teacher? I would say that in college is when I really got the bug. I went into undergrad undeclared, I took all sorts of different courses, and I found that I loved religion, and I thought about my own experience. In high school, I went to an all-boys school in San Francisco, I loved that experience and thought this would be a great career where I can just wed my intellectual interests with my passion for raising up the next generation of of young people.
What brought you to Holy Names? I was principal of an all-girls Catholic school, very much like Holy Names. But it was large, it had 800 students, and I didn’t get to know the families or the girls very well. That was a frustrating experience. Covid was part of that, but previously, I’d been in a small middle school and that was a very different experience. This was an opportunity to be in a small community where I can get to know everyone, and that is really one of the joys.
How is enrollment looking for Holy Names next year? It’s looking very strong. We had a 13% increase this year, and we’re already seeing numbers that are exceeding our metrics from last year. This year we’re up 50% in shadow visits — when students come to school to shadow a current student. Applications are up 40%, and sixth grade applications are up about 75%.
Other private schools have had enrollment issues or had to take drastic steps to continue operations. Has that impacted your strategy? I know there are a lot of schools that are challenged by various things, but I just think we maintain a clear sense of our own identity, as an all-girls school that teaches values and gives girls a sense of purpose — and that sells itself.
Do you have broader concerns about the future of private education? Yes and no, because there are statistics out there that independent schools, some are strong but others are struggling. As you said, there are some schools facing closure. But I again say if you know who you are and can convey that to prospective families, they can see the value of what you are. I feel very confident about where we’re going.
Do you have agreements with schools about sending graduates to Holy Names? No, there are some family traditions for sure, and we have some partner schools who are more likely to send girls to us. We value those connections. But we also are getting a large number of families, especially in sixth and seventh grade, from public schools.
Have you changed the school’s marketing strategy to reach those people? So there’s nothing more powerful than word of mouth, and as long as our students are having a great experience and their parents are having a great experience, that’s our greatest marketing tool. … We don’t want to be a hidden gem, and I think that’s what we have been for a long time.
Have you changed pricing in any way in the past couple of years? We restructured tuition this past year, recognizing that we want this school to be attainable for more families. There aren’t many opportunities for girls to experience an all-girls education, and it’s even narrower for girls to experience a Catholic all-girls education. There is a sense in our mission that students from across all socioeconomic backgrounds can see Holy Names in their future.
What are your short-term goals? We want to continue to grow, we have more capacity and we’ve got a financial plan laid out. We’re exceeding those metrics as we go forward, so we’re excited about that. We’re in the midst of building a strategic plan about longer-term goals, making sure that we are sustainable for another 140 years. We’re expecting that by fall, we’ll be able to roll that out in its entirety.
What’s the capacity limit on students? I think around 285 would be the goal. Last year we started at 189, and right now, we’re at 215. We’re already talking about a waitlist for our ninth grade.
Are sixth and ninth grades your most common entry points to the school? Those are traditional years of transition, but we do get a surprising number of students coming in in seventh grade. They may have experienced turmoil in sixth grade and they look to us at that point.
Sixth grade can be a tough time. My own middle school experience was a miserable time, you’re going through so much change. It’s not just the academics, it’s the personal identity and development and all those sorts of things. I think people see Holy Names is a nurturing environment. Students can get lost at a bigger school, and girls are not lost here.
Interview has been edited and condensed.
Martin Kilbridge
Title: President, Academy of the Holy Names
Age: 59
Lives: Albany
Education: Undergraduate at University of California, Berkeley; master's at Harvard Divinity School; doctorate at University of Rochester
Family: Married, five children