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State of the School August 2026

Dear Father Ryan Community,

Each new school year is a promise of possibilities, a reminder that hope is found in every lesson learned, every goal pursued, and every act of kindness shared.

This month, we celebrated those new beginnings by welcoming our newest students and their families into their Houses, as well as the loving embrace of the Father Ryan community. It was a joyful day filled with confetti, laughter, and the excitement of all that lies ahead.

As our newest students begin their Father Ryan journey, they will discover their place and purpose through faith, learning, service, and friendship. With every class, activity, and opportunity, they will grow closer to the person God is calling them to be while becoming part of a tradition that has shaped generations of Irish students.

There is much to celebrate and give thanks for as we begin our next century being an experience of the living Gospel while challenging every student to reach their spiritual, academic, and personal potential.

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Welcome, Class of 2030!

We have welcomed 217 new members of Ryan Nation. At New Family Welcome, they were placed into one of our six Houses, a “family within a family” that creates belonging immediately and forms deep bonds across grades and interests.

  • 217 incoming students (9th grade and transfers)
  • 26 transfers from across Nashville, the country, and Canada
  • 45 zip codes represented
  • 112 students from new Father Ryan families
  • 107 legacies (current siblings, alumni parents, or other family members)

I want to share our enrollment for the coming year. We have 800 total students representing 130 schools and 65 zip codes and an impressive 97% re-enrollment rate. Thank you to our current families for continuing to embrace the value and values of a Father Ryan education.

Good Luck and God Bless, Class of 2026!

In May, we capped our two-year 100 Years of Father Ryan celebration with a historic moment: celebrating our 100th graduating class, the Class of 2026. This is a remarkable group of young men and women whose tenure was marked by academic, athletic, and artistic achievement and a palpable commitment to God, service, and each other.

  • With 204 graduates, we now have over 15,000 Father Ryan alumni.
  • The Class of 2026 earned more than $35 million in college scholarships.
  • The top 10% of the Class of 2026 (per GPA) scored an average of 32 on the ACT.
  • More than half of the Class of 2026 (53%) took at least one AP course during their high school career.
  • The class was admitted to 203 unique colleges and universities, including Duke, Emory, Johns Hopkins, Marquette, Notre Dame, Providence, the Savannah College of Art and Design, Tulane, the United States Naval Academy, Vanderbilt, Villanova, and Xavier.
  • The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, remains the most popular college for our seniors. Even as UTK becomes more selective, Father Ryan students are doing very well in UTK’s admissions process. Our students in the Class of 2026 had an admission rate of 74%, 10 points higher than the in-state rate for over 65,000 applicants.

Faith

Our students continue to answer Christ's call through prayer, service, leadership, and acts of compassion that embody our Catholic mission.

This spring, nine Father Ryan students joined the Catholic Church after a year-long journey of discernment, culminating in the Sacraments of Initiation conferred by Bishop Spalding. This was a threefold increase in the number of students joining the Church from the previous year. May Christ’s light guide them as they deepen their faith.

This summer, 70 juniors and seniors attended a +SEARCH+ retreat, with 31 students returning as leaders, as well as five serving as co-directors. SEARCH remains one of the most popular and impactful faith activities for our students. We also had 46 Father Ryan students attend the 59th Annual Youth Leadership Workshop, including four leaders and three alumni who served as adult leaders.

Father Christian Hamrick '17 has returned to Father Ryan as our new Chaplain. We look forward to his leadership as he guides our students and community to a life in Christ. He speaks often of his spiritual formation at Father Ryan through retreats, service, and other Campus Ministry programs. Also, thank you to Father Anh Tuan Phan for three years of dedication, love, humor, and pastoral care as our Chaplain.

Congratulations to Father Reed Robinson ’18 on his ordination to the priesthood on June 12 at the Cathedral of the Incarnation. He served at Saint Henry Church this summer and will be returning to Rome this fall to continue his studies.

Father Robinson was one of several priests with Father Ryan ties who joined Father Hamrick to concelebrate the first All-School Mass of the 2026-2027 year. Father Anh Tuan Phan and Father Gervan Menezes, both former chaplains, returned, as did Father Rhodes Bolster ’11, who serves on our Board of Trustees. It served as a powerful reminder of our faith formation here at Father Ryan, and it was inspiring to see them all return to support our students.

Knowledge

“Education is simply the soul of society.”
- G.K. Chesterton

As we continue in our mission to challenge our students to reach their spiritual, academic, and personal potential, our staff is considering the theme of knowledge in a special way this year.

We have chosen the above quote from the Catholic apologist G.K. Chesterton to help center our focus on knowledge. As one of the leading Catholic scholars of the 20th century, Chesterton spoke at Father Ryan’s original building on Elliston Place in 1931.

It is with Chesterton’s belief in the value of education at the forefront that we continue to celebrate our students’ success in the classroom, including our six National Merit Finalists in 2026. Those six were chosen from 10 semifinalists named in September 2025, which were the most of any Catholic school in Tennessee. Read more about our finalists here.

During Spring 2026, 221 students took at least one AP test and 93% of those students scored a 3 or better on at least one exam. That capped an academic year which saw a total of 417 AP classes taken by Father Ryan students.

Our Dual Enrollment Program continues to help set our students up for success in college, with 11 classes available this year to help students earn college credit before completing their high school education.

We inducted 17 juniors and 17 seniors into the Hibernian Cum Laude Society, the high school equivalent of Phi Beta Kappa. This year’s inductees:

  • Maintained a cumulative GPA of 94.95 or higher
  • Have taken or are enrolled in at least one AP course
  • Have scored at least a 1240 on the SAT or 26 on the ACT

Our Hayes Scholars Program continues to attract top-achieving students from across Nashville:

  • The Class of 2030 includes 31 Hayes Scholars
  • The 2025-2026 Hayes Scholars had an average GPA of 96.1
  • 100% of Hayes Scholars scored 3+ on AP exams in spring 2026

As we help our Hayes Scholars navigate their future plans, rising juniors and seniors in the program traveled to Boston and toured colleges including Boston College, Boston University, Harvard, and Northeastern. They also participated in a workshop at MIT on finding exoplanets, planets outside our solar system. This followed a successful trip to Atlanta to visit Emory and Georgia Tech last summer.

Our Xaverian High School Exchange Program continues this year, as 10 students from New York will visit Father Ryan for a week. The cohort from the school in Brooklyn will travel to Nashville and experience a week in our community, including a Friday night football game.

In addition to our Xaverian Exchange, study abroad opportunities are planned this year for Switzerland (fall) and Iceland (spring), following up on successful experiences in Italy and Portugal last year.

This year, I am excited to see the continued development of our faculty-led Professional Learning Community (PLC) initiative. This approach shifts our focus from simply teaching content to creating a cohesive, aligned academic experience for all students. The culture of collaboration among our faculty ensures our students gain a mastery of essential knowledge in each course.

Service

We remained humbled by our students’ service across Middle Tennessee. Their devotion reflects our commitment to forming compassionate leaders who live their faith through action.

In 2025-2026, Father Ryan students served 24,752 hours at more than 200 different nonprofit and faith organizations. Our Service-Learning Program provides robust opportunities, including:

  • Our 100th Anniversary Day of Service in April, during which 140 students, faculty/staff, alumni, and parents served across campus and throughout Nashville
  • New twice-annual Faith and Service Days, which bring the entire campus together for days of service and class retreats
  • The annual House System Canned Food Drive collected 12,494 cans and $2,154 for the Ladies of Charity, Catholic Charities, and St. Vincent de Paul.

This past year, 102 students volunteered as pallbearers at 17 burials through our St. Joseph of Arimathea Society. We joined this national ministry last fall, an experience our students have overwhelmingly embraced as they provide a respectful burial for the deceased without a family. Our Campus Ministry plans to expand the program this year. Read more about our students’ service in The Nashville Catholic.

We extend our congratulations to the 19 newest members of the Father Charles Strobel '61 Service Society. These students served at least 120 hours in their community through the Corporal Works of Mercy, with at least 40 hours spent with one organization.

Finally, this July, Senior Service teacher Betts Clippinger retired after four decades. Thank you, Mrs. Clipp, for your guidance, expertise, and joy in organizing the seniors’ various off-campus service opportunities across Nashville.

Irish Athletics

As always, we take great pride in everything being accomplished by our student-athletes as they represent the Irish in competition, learning discipline, teamwork, perseverance, and sportsmanship.

We had another great year to celebrate in 2025-26. Our Girls Rugby 15’s team won its second straight state championship, while Irish athletes won individual state titles in Wrestling (Tanner Tran ’26 and Colten Calvin ’28) and Track and Field (Caroline Perri ’26 won four, Addison Belletete ’26 and Ryder Ortner '26). We had 24 all-region and 27 all-state selections, and 22 Father Ryan students signed to continue their playing careers across all three NCAA divisions.

At UCA Nationals, the Competition Cheer team advanced to the semi-finals in the Game Day division and to the finals in the Traditional division, and the Irish Dance Team placed 5th in Jazz and in the Top 12 out of 27 teams in Hip Hop at UCA Nationals.

We also celebrated recently retired Soccer coach Robin Dieterich ’73, who was inducted into the inaugural Tennessee High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame class, and Baseball coach Mike Mascari ’96, who retired from the dugout after 18 seasons and more than 250 wins. We’re grateful to both for the impact at Father Ryan, which will continue in the classroom for Mr. Mascari.

Moving forward, this summer provided its share of highlights. The Irish Boys Basketball team went undefeated in its summer league, and football’s Charlie Becker ’24 followed his national championship season at Indiana with his first football camp at Father Ryan in May.

Our Dance team participated in the Universal Dance Association (UDA) Dance Camp this summer, earning a coveted bid to UDA Nationals for February 2027. Four Irish dancers were selected for the UDA All-American Team.

The new year is already off to a great start, as football opened the season with a win against Overton, the volleyball team earned a third-place finish at the Showdown at the Sunsphere in Knoxville, and cross country’s Lydia Brunner ’27 placed first at the Saturday Light Fever meet. Regardless of the sport, we hope you can join us to cheer on the Irish this fall!

Irish Arts

Our students continue to showcase their God-given talents through outstanding performances, exhibitions, and achievements that reflect both artistic excellence and the joy of creative expression.

We bid a fond farewell to recently retired Mr. Durand, Chair of the Arts Department, who began teaching at the Elliston Place campus. For 40 years, his talent, passion, and master teaching helped our students while growing the Arts department. Thanks in large part to Mr. Durand’s leadership, we now offer 35 different fine and performing arts courses, the most of any private high school in Middle Tennessee.

Congratulations to Mr. Jereme Frey, who takes over as chair of the arts department while continuing as band director.

Highlights of spring 2026 included:

  • For NSSC DII National Championships, the Irish Marching Band placed 2nd in DII Pep Band Varsity against teams from across the country.
  • The Purple Masque Players had packed houses for their performances of Into the Woods!
  • 3 Class of 2026 student artists signed to continue their artistic careers in college.
  • The Yearbook Staff won its 2nd consecutive Josten's “Best-of-the-Best” Yearbook Award.

Father Ryan Alumni and Community Support

The strength of Father Ryan extends far beyond our campus, sustained by a dedicated community of alumni, families, donors, and friends who believe deeply in our mission.

Our new job shadow program for juniors and seniors grew with nine students placed with alumni or alumni contacts throughout Nashville. Now going into its third year, this important experiential program offers hands-on learning and the opportunity for our students to experience real-world problem-solving.

If you are interested in welcoming a Father Ryan student to your workplace, please contact Sara (Carter) Atwood ’04, our Alumni Engagement & Outreach Manager, at atwoods@fatherryan.org.

Thanks to the several alumni and parents who served as speakers this spring for our students, including Cum Laude speaker Dan Schlacter ’97, who received honorary Cum Laude membership.

One of our proudest alumni moments last school year came in March, as South Street in Nashville was renamed King Hollands Avenue in honor of King Hollands ’58. King was one of 15 Black students who enrolled at Father Ryan in 1954 after the Brown v. Board of Education decision ended school segregation. Throughout his life, King was dedicated to fighting injustice and preserving Nashville’s African American history. We are proud to call him a Father Ryan graduate and grateful to Nashville Metro Councilwoman Zulfat Suara for sponsoring the legislation.

In a win for all our alumni, our Annual Fund set a record with $1,067,437.51 in unrestricted giving, raised from 1,403 donors. It was the third straight year eclipsing $1 million for the Annual Fund and marked the 17th consecutive year that 100% of our faculty and staff contributed to the Annual Fund, demonstrating strong commitment to our mission from each person working on campus. We also broke a record with $148,324 contributed to the Annual Fund on Giving Day.

In addition, we continue to improve access for all families who are committed to providing a Father Ryan education for their children. We have awarded $2.4 million in tuition assistance for the 2026-2027 school year, including our 15% multi-student discount, which continues to be one of the largest offered by private schools in Middle Tennessee.

It is imperative we continue to welcome a broad range of families who are committed to Catholic education, and it is an instrumental part of our vision to include families from every background at Father Ryan.

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We spent much of the last two years celebrating 100 Years of Father Ryan. From our 100 Masses to reunions and other events, I’m grateful for the students, faculty and staff, families, alumni, and others who support our mission to be an experience of the living Gospel while challenging students to reach their spiritual, academic, and personal potential.

As the 2026-2027 school year has begun, we owe it to our students to press forward into our second century. Our Strategic Plan, Foundation for the Future, continues to provide a blueprint as we turn our focus to the next 100 years and continue building on Father Ryan’s Tradition of Faith, Knowledge, Service.

Sincerely,

Paul Davis '81
President