Mr. O’Neill noted that the former St. William school building is in good condition, but Cristo Rey Boston will need to build science and computer laboratories, create office space for the work-study program and the counseling departments, and make improvements to the cafeteria by the start of the school year in August. He indicated that the school would be seeking funds from Boston area foundations and donors to assist in paying for the improvements.

A majority of North Cambridge Catholic’s students live in Boston. The property in Cambridge cannot accommodate the school’s growing student body. The new location will offer a larger site, allowing the school to meet increasing demand for enrollment. In addition, the Cristo Rey model complements the broad range of Catholic secondary school opportunities offered in the Boston area. The St. William’s site, located across from the Savin Hill MBTA station, will be accessible to the students, who currently come from 26 different Greater Boston communities.

“Cambridge has been a wonderful home for us,” said Mr. O’Neill, who graduated from North Cambridge Catholic High School in 1962. His parents, former U.S. House Speaker Thomas P. O’Neill, Jr. and his wife Millie, were also alumni of the school. “The school has always provided Catholic education to working class and immigrant young people. That tradition will continue when we move to Dorchester.”

North Cambridge Catholic High School began as St. John’s High School in 1921 when it was part of a Cambridge parish. In 1957, the school moved to its current site in Cambridge, and in 2004 North Cambridge Catholic High School adopted the corporate work-study program and became a member of the Cristo Rey Network. The school has 260 students, 65% of whom live in Boston.

All alumni records from North Cambridge Catholic High School and St. John’s High School will remain with Cristo Rey Boston.