LAWRENCE ACADEMY ACQUIRES FORMER CAMPUS OF THE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL OF THE HOLY UNION

GROTON, MA – Today, Head of School Dan Scheibe announced that Lawrence Academy had purchased the property that formerly served as the campus of The Country Day School of the Holy Union.

“This is a historic decision by the school,” said Scheibe, currently in his sixth year as LA’s head. “Lawrence Academy has grown incrementally over centuries in the neighborhood of the town of Groton, and adjacent properties have been of significant interest to a whole series of generations of the school’s leadership and board. I am proud and grateful that the school has taken this action, particularly in light of our strategic priorities, which include thoughtfully consolidating our campus buildings and functions within the abutting land. In addition, we are happy that the non-profit, educational legacy of the property will be preserved.”

The beautiful space that abuts LA’s current campus enjoys a long history as a place for education.

The Holy Union Sisters took up residence in Groton in 1946 on the site of the former Lowthorpe School of Landscape Architecture for Women.

When the school became part of the Rhode Island School of Design in 1945, Boston’s Cardinal Richard Cushing purchased the 17-acre estate. A year later, the Holy Union Sisters were looking for a property to serve as headquarters for their newly formed province, and Cardinal Cushing sold it to them.

In 1949 the sisters established the Country Day School of the Holy Union to educate the Catholic children of the Nashoba Valley. The school began with kindergarten to grade three and added a grade each year until it was an elementary school with nine grades. In later years a Pre-Kindergarten was added.

For over sixty years the school, which was the only Catholic school in the area, was noted for its academic excellence.

Declining enrollment forced the closure of grades seven and eight in 2016, and despite strong efforts to increase enrollment, the Country Day School of the Holy Union closed in 2017.

Throughout the years, The Country Day School of the Holy Union and its neighbor Lawrence Academy have had a cordial and neighborly relationship.

Sr. Yvette Ladurantaye, who served as a teacher and then principal for several years and is presently a member of the Holy Union Sisters’ Leadership Team, commented, “The sale of the property to Lawrence Academy ensures that the long tradition of quality education in Groton will continue.”

Now in its 225th year, Lawrence Academy, founded in 1793 and currently situated on 135 acres in Groton, Massachusetts, is home to 400 students, over half of whom live on campus. A bustling community whose vibrancy is grounded in a rigorous, forward-thinking academic curriculum, LA features an award-winning art program, championship athletics, and an expansive array of extracurricular offerings — each an important facet of a comprehensive college preparatory experience.

For more information, please contact John Bishop, Director of Communications, Lawrence Academy at  or call 978-448-1537.