The Archdiocese of Baltimore has chosen the longtime head of a Towson girls school as its new superintendent of schools, bringing to an end a five-month national search for a new leader for the 54 Catholic schools it runs in Maryland.

Archbishop William E. Lori announced Thursday the appointment of Sister Patricia McCarron, the longtime head of school at Notre Dame Preparatory School, to take over leadership of the Catholic educational system and the nearly 25,000 students it enrolls.

McCarron, who has served as Notre Dame Prep’s head of school since 2005, will replace Donna Hargens as superintendent at the end of the school year. Hargens, a 45-year education veteran, announced in September that she planned to retire after year’s end. She has led the system since 2018.

Lori had only praise for McCarron’s long experience and train of accomplishments.

“Throughout Sister Patricia’s exceptional academic career in Catholic education, she has taken deliberate steps to nurture the whole child: academically, spiritually, morally and physically,” he said in a statement Thursday. “Sister Patricia is known for being a high-energy leader and a skilled administrator who is dedicated to Christ.

“As our next superintendent, [her] extensive experience, innovative approach to learning and deep faith will allow the students and our Catholic schools to continue to flourish.”

Catholic Recruiter Associates conducted the search for Hargens’ replacement, and Nancy Grasmick, the former longtime superintendent of Maryland Public Schools, chaired the effort.

“She has spent her life really fostering excellence,” said Grasmick, currently serving as the presidential scholar at Towson University. “She presents herself as a person who is absolutely dedicated to the success of students, and she brings tremendous experience in leading principals and teachers. We are very fortunate to have someone with the myriad of credentials and talents she possesses.”

McCarron’s time at Notre Dame Prep has been characterized by growth. She has led successful efforts to add and renovate academic, fine arts and sports facilities, gradually enhanced the diversity of the student body and spearheaded multiple fundraising campaigns in support of faculty and staff.

And the school has been listed among The Baltimore Sun’s Top Workplaces several times.

She also led the school to a record enrollment of nearly 850 students this year.

The school remains widely known for its academic excellence and success at placing graduates in competitive colleges.

McCarron has previously served as an administrative intern at Bishop Walsh School in Cumberland, as a math teacher at Notre Dame Prep, as an assistant principal at the former Seton Keough High School, and as a professor of education and eventually associate academic dean at Notre Dame of Maryland University.

“It is a great feeling to be part of a school system that provides a Christ-centered education that is academically excellent and empowers students to reach their full potential,” McCarron said Thursday. “I am looking forward to partnering with parents and the many outstanding educators, priests and men and women religious to build upon the excellence of the Archdiocese of Baltimore Catholic schools.”

Five Archdiocesan schools earned the National Blue Ribbon Award for excellence under Hargens’ leadership in 2024, joining the 12% of non-public schools that received the honor.

Hargens also opened the Mother Mary Lange Catholic School in 2021, a $25 million investment and the first new Catholic school in Baltimore City in six decades, and ensured the reaccreditation of local Catholic school through 2027.

The Archdiocesan school system includes elementary, middle and high schools in Baltimore City as well as in Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Harford, Howard and Washington counties.

Have a news tip? Contact Jonathan M. Pitts at jonpitts@baltsun.com.