Jesuit High School Sacramento receives $1 million gift to support co-divisional shift
A Jesuit High School Sacramento alumnus has made a major donation to support the school's plan to admit girls for the first time.
The Catholic private school announced earlier in October that it would be shifting to a co-divisional educational model, with both girls and boys being present on campus but still in gender-segregated classes.
Jesuit High officials said enrollment trends and other factors played into the decision to shift to a co-divisional model.
Thursday, Jesuit High announced they had received a $1 million gift from 1998 alumnus Billy Downing and his wife Jessaca. In a statement, the Downings shared their support of the co-divisional move for the school.
"As Jesuit evolves to welcome both young men and women, Jessaca and I want to help ensure that the school continues to lead with excellence—rooted in faith, guided by discernment, and bold in innovation," the Downings wrote.
Jesuit High's move to admit girls for the first time has been met with resistance, however.
Opponents of Jesuit High's co-divisional plan have said that more than 100 donors have pledged around $1.7 million for their cause. Alumni and current families are among those who have pledged the money, opponents said.
Since its founding in 1963, Jesuit High has operated as a boys-only school. No change has been announced for the Sacramento region's all-girls Catholic school, St. Francis High School.
Applications are expected to open for Jesuit High's first co-divisional class in October 2026. The first class of girls on campus is expected come fall 2027.