Devon Preparatory School

Devon Preparatory School is a private, Catholic college preparatory school in Devon, Pennsylvania, founded in 1956 by the Piarist fathers. It is an all-boys school, divided into a middle school (grades 6–8) and an upper school (grades 9–12), both located on the same campus of 20 acres (81,000 m2). The school operates independently with the blessings of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

The mansion, the centerpiece of the estate, was built in 1913 by Philadelphia publisher Dr. Charles M. Lea. The task of transforming the mansion into a school began in March 1956. It was renamed Calasanctius Hall after St. Joseph Calasanctius, founder of the Piarist Order. Devon Preparatory School opened its doors on September 8 with 49 freshmen, including several boarders. Philadelphia Archbishop John Francis O’Hara dedicated the school on December 8, 1956. In the years that followed the other buildings became functional parts of the campus. First, the stable became the chapel; next the carriage house became the chemistry lab, and finally the workers’ cottage became the student activities center.

The school graduated its first class on June 4, 1960. The following September groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the new school and gymnasium. Construction was finished the following year and Archbishop John Krol dedicated the new buildings on October 21, 1961. Today that building houses mostly upper school classes. St. Anthony Hall was opened in 2004. It includes a state of the art computer center, library media center, a science lab and six classrooms.

Today, Devon Prep has the largest enrollment of its history, a faculty of Piarist Fathers and both male and female lay faculty, a staff of more than 20 persons, and an alumni base of over 2000.