The dream that is the Redemptorist Schools of Baton Rouge began with the charism of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, commonly known as the Redemptorists, with their founding by St. Alphonsus Liguori in 1732 in Scala, Italy. The call of the Redemptorists to serve and preach the Good News to the poor and disadvantaged still stands as a call to service for our students more than 60 years after the founding of the Redemptorist Schools.

St. Gerard Majella Parish was created in 1944, prompted by development in North Baton Rouge, and was entrusted to the Redemptorist Fathers and Brothers. Construction of a three-story combined church/school, current site of the lower school, began in 1945 and was the parish’s first permanent building. In 1947, St. Gerard Majella Elementary School began as the lower school gymnasium was completed, and St. Gerard Majella High School – later Redemptorist High School – began as surplus buildings were purchased from the U.S. government and moved from Harding Field to the current site of the St. John Neumann Activity Center (the upper school gymnasium). In 1953, a cafeteria with six classrooms on the second floor was added to the lower school campus. The Scout Hut was built in 1952, added to in 1954, and was replaced by a permanent brick structure in 1965. A convent for the School Sisters of Notre Dame, who administered the schools until 1973, was completed in 1955 and remained occupied until 1981. The building was sold to the Capital Area Family Violence Center in 1988, and is being used in the Battered Women’s Program. The present parish church was formally dedicated on October 16, 1958, the feast of St. Gerard Majella. The permanent buildings of the high school were erected beginning in 1959, and a junior high school was completed in 1964. A dyslexic program was added in 1985, and in 1988 the Diocese of Baton Rouge brought its special education program to operate from the schools through the Guardian Angels lower school program and Career Education upper school program.
Though the schools remained technically separate, they were always tied by their common heritage and the Redemptorist charism. In 1990, the junior high school merged into Redemptorist High School, making it a 7th grade through 12th grade school. While St. Gerard Elementary School maintained its direct connection with the parish, Redemptorist High School became a diocesan school in 1995. In 2010-2011, St. Isidore Elementary School, another longtime feeder into Redemptorist High School, merged with St. Gerard Elementary School to form the newly named Redemptorist Elementary School. During the 2010-2011 year, the boards of both Redemptorist Elementary School and Redemptorist High School collaborated with the Catholic Schools Office of the Diocese of Baton Rouge to begin strategic discussions about fortifying the futures of both schools. Ultimately, the decision was made to merge the two schools into one pre-kindergarten through 12th grade institution with the special education program continuing its presence on the campuses. In the summer of 2011, the schools began operation together as the Redemptorist Schools of Baton Rouge, recognizing the coexisting histories as distinct schools with a common Redemptorist heritage and foundation. The 2011-2012 year is a transition year during which the steps of merging the two schools into one PK-12 institution are being fulfilled.

Through more than 60 years, the Redemptorist schools in North Baton Rouge built young men and women of character as separate schools with a common Redemptorist tie. Over six decades of Redemptorist alumni span the breadth of society in Baton Rouge and beyond. Finally joined formally in their purposes, the newly merged Redemptorist Schools of Baton Rouge will continue this legacy into the future for ongoing generations.