There is an old expression about being a big fish in a small pond. At St. Agatha School in Milton, the metaphor may be less about being the biggest fish and more about the kind of pond a school creates.

By enrollment, St. Agatha School is not particularly small. With 430 students expected for the 2026-2027 school year, it is among the larger Catholic elementary schools in the Archdiocese of Boston. Enrollment has grown 8 percent in just one year and 18 percent since 2023. St. Agatha School has added classrooms in early childhood, kindergarten, and grade one, while its middle school has reached 81 students, its largest cohort in more than five years.

St. Agatha School is growing. The challenge is making sure that growth does not change how the school feels.

While data can tell part of the story, it does not tell whether a child feels known, whether a teacher notices when something is off, or whether a student believes there is a place for them to contribute. At St. Agatha School, students have many ways to find that place: connecting across grades through prayer buddies and campus ministry, finding their voice through advisory and leadership opportunities, or discovering new interests through specialized learning in language arts, religion, and STEM.

A caring community isn't just something you feel; it has an impact. For three consecutive years, the St. Agatha School community has come together to fully fund a major initiative designed to enhance the student experience. In 2024, donors supported a new painted playspace. In 2025, they funded a new gymnasium floor. This year, the community reached an $85,000 goal to create an Innovation Lab to support STEM learning for students in kindergarten through grade eight.

The three projects may look different, but together they tell a larger story about a community willing to invest in its students. The Innovation Lab is a clear example of that mindset. Students will have opportunities to design, build, experiment, and solve problems using tools, including 3D printing and emerging technologies. But the goal is not simply to fill a room with new equipment. The Lab is built on the school's own principles, rooted in strong fundamentals and giving students room to explore, question, and discover through doing. The technology is a tool, not the focus. At the center are the skills that have always mattered: curiosity, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and the confidence to try, fail, learn, and try again.

The funding of the Lab tells another part of the story. An anonymous leadership gift got the project started, families rallied around it, the Catholic Schools Foundation provided a Capital Improvement Block Grant, and St. Agatha School parents contributed professional expertise and hands-on labor. The Flatley Foundation then stepped forward to close the remaining gap and help sustain the program beyond its initial build-out.

Taken together, those contributions show a community that continues to put its time, resources, and confidence behind its students.

This summer, St. Agatha School was named the 2026 Best of the South Shore Award winner for Best Private Elementary School, with more than 400,000 community votes cast. While any popular vote reflects reputation and relationships, the recognition also puts a spotlight on something the St. Agatha School community has long known: St. Agatha School is a hidden gem in the heart of Milton, growing without losing the sense of community that makes the school special.

A school can grow without becoming impersonal. It can embrace new technology without losing sight of relationships. It can be one of the larger Catholic schools in the region and still preserve the feeling that there is room for every student to be seen.

That may be St. Agatha School's version of being a big fish in a small pond: not thinking small, but creating a community where children are known well enough to discover just how big they can think.



KERRY PICCOLO, DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT AND MARKETING ORGANIZATION: ST. AGATHA SCHOOL, MILTON. CONTACT: KPICCOLO@STAGATHAPARISH.ORG OR 617-696-3548 X208. ESTABLISHED IN 1941, ST. AGATHA SCHOOL IS A CHRISTIAN CATHOLIC COMMUNITY SERVING OVER 425 STUDENTS FROM PRESCHOOL TO GRADE EIGHT, FROM MILTON AND OVER 20 ADDITIONAL COMMUNITIES SURROUNDING BOSTON. THE SCHOOL IS ACCREDITED BY THE NEW ENGLAND ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES (NEASC).