Xavier High President Chris McCarville named leader of new Catholic school system

CEDAR RAPIDS — Xavier High School President Chris McCarville has been named president of the newly formed PK-12 Xavier Catholic School System as eight metro-area Catholic schools unite as a single corporation.

As president of Xavier Catholic Schools, McCarville will lead the system’s commitment to its Catholic mission and identity, according to a news release. He will begin his new role July 1.

“From many perspectives, the opportunity has never been better for our schools, and the future could not be brighter,” he said in a statement. “Formalizing our schools into one united system allows us to operate much more efficiency with a cohesive, big picture in mind. To say I’m humbled to serve in this role would be an understatement. I look forward to working with many to help make our schools be the absolute best they can be and, most importantly, help move young souls closer to heaven.”

McCarville will be responsible for ushering in a shared vision and strategic plan that aligns and advances the goals of long-range planning, academic excellence, fundraising and facilities. He will oversee central office leadership personnel and will serve as the chief spokesperson for Xavier Catholic Schools.

He graduated high school from Regis — now a middle school — in 1997 and from Mount Mercy College — now Mount Mercy University — in 2001. In 2008, he earned his master of arts in educational leadership/principalship from the University of Northern Iowa

McCarville has been a teacher and administrator at Xavier High and has served as president of the school since 2019. Over the past five years, McCarville has been a leader in facilitating systemwide collaboration to achieve shared goals, such as fundraising to support increasing teacher salaries.

He will work with the Pastors Board, the new PK-12 school board, and the Xavier Foundation Board.

“I am thrilled that Chris McCarville has been selected as the first president of the Xavier Catholic School system,” said the Rev. Jon Seda, pastor of St. Pius X Parish in Cedar Rapids. “He is a proven leader in our high school, and he already knows our metro Catholic community. His strong vision and energy will lead us in making all of our schools thrive.”

McCarville also has experience as the executive director of the Catholic Foundation of Southwest Iowa in Des Moines. While there, he led the organization through a comprehensive strategic planning process. He has served as director of institutional development at Holy Family Catholic Schools in Dubuque, where he was responsible for a major capital campaign to renovate the high school.

Metro Catholic schools have been operating under the Xavier Catholic Schools brand since 2013, but each school has maintained its own structure of governance over the last decade, with each school having its own school board.

Under the plan, Regis Middle School and LaSalle Catholic Middle School eventually will consolidate into a single location. A study is being conducted on the possible locations for a 600-student consolidated middle school for grades sixth to eighth.

Xavier Catholic Schools are part of the Archdiocese of Dubuque and currently consist of eight buildings with a total enrollment for the 2023-24 school year of 2,104 students:

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