The Xavier Catholic Schools Board announced plans Oct. 17 to remodel the existing Toyota Financial Services building at 5005 N River Blvd. NE in Cedar Rapids and repurpose it as the metro area’s new Catholic middle school.
According to a release, Xavier Catholic Schools will transform the existing three-story, 109,000-square-foot building, and surrounding 11.37 acres of land, into a “state-of-the-art educational setting that will meet current and future faith development, academic, support, and extracurricular needs of students.”
The remodeled building, which has remained mostly vacant since 2022, will house students in grades 6-8.
Decisions about funding for the building purchase and remodel are still being finalized. According to the release, Xavier Catholic Schools will consider budgeted savings, donations, and a short-term loan prior to an anticipated capital campaign.
The Toyota Financial Services (TFS) remodel is slated for completion by August 2026, but the final timeline will depend on donor support and construction scheduling, and the results of the donor feasibility study will ultimately dictate the final scale of the remodel, according to the release.
The decision marks the next step in an ongoing and extensive, multi-year process to consolidate metro area Catholic middle schools, with discussions dating back as early as 1998, shortly after the opening of Xavier High School.
A middle school location feasibility study committee, composed of 15 individuals representing metro Catholic parishes, school administrators, and a building expert, was formed in early 2024 and met regularly over a six-month period to study options and provide a recommendation for a consolidated middle school for sixth to eighth grade students from the current LaSalle Middle School and Regis Middle School sites.
The committee considered two primary options: Remodeling the existing TFS building, or constructing an entirely new middle school at a separate location.
The committee made its official recommendation to the Xavier Catholic Schools board Aug. 27 to remodel the TFS building, and the board officially adopted the recommendation in a meeting Oct. 7.
“We were fortunate to have two very good options when it comes to determining the location of a new middle school: Remodeling an existing, viable, well-maintained facility versus building completely new elsewhere,” said Brian Talyat, Xavier Catholic School board chair.” The decision to move forward with the remodel of Toyota Financial was the result of an extensive and deliberate process. In the end, we believe that reshaping this building and its grounds to our new middle school was in the best interest of our students, teachers, staff, and our greater community.”
The middle school consolidation plan is the latest step in a process that included the December 2023 announcement of the formal uniting of eight metro Catholic schools under a single corporation, a process that was formally completed in July.
“Throughout the history of Catholic education in Cedar Rapids and Marion, each generation has had the responsibility to shape the future of our schools by being visionary and making bold decisions in regard to our facilities,” said Chris McCarville, president of Xavier Catholic Schools.The time is now for a new generation to rise to the occasion and do the same.”
The future of the Regis and LaSalle buildings and properties wasn’t addressed in the release.