Type Private, Coeducational Established 1868 Principal Janie Garcia-Herrera Phone +1 734-662-0496 Number of students 530 (2012–2013) | Religious affiliation(s) Roman Catholic President Michael Kenney Chaplain Fr. Richard Lobert Founded 1868 Colors White, Green | |
 | ||
Address 4333 Whitehall Dr, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA Athletics conference Catholic High School League Similar Greenhills School, Detroit Catholic Central H, Skyline High School, Saline High School, Huron High School Profiles | ||
Fr. Gabriel Richard High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Ann Arbor Township near Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansing, and was established in 1868 by Father Patrick O'Kelly. It was originally named St. Thomas the Apostle School and included an elementary school. By 1880 the original facilities had been outgrown and the school moved for the first time. In 1900 a vast new church was begun for the overgrown parish and was completed in 1905.
The parish and church were a vibrant part of Ann Arbor's early history and in the early 1920s the old school building was torn down and a new enlarged building was constructed that remains to this day. The school survived World War I and grew throughout the Great Depression and in the post World War II era. By 1980, St Thomas split into the elementary school, St. Thomas, and the high school was named Father Gabriel Richard Catholic High School after Gabriel Richard, a French Roman Catholic priest and founder of the University of Michigan. At the start of the 21st century, the original 1920s building became too small and obsolete, prompting construction of a new modern building outside of town, the first move of the school in over 120 years. The original St. Thomas elementary school building was renovated, remains on its original spot, and continues to operate independently of Gabriel Richard High School.
In 2008, Father Gabriel Richard High School was put on the Top 50 List of best Catholic high schools in the nation. As of October 2012, it had been placed on this list for four consecutive years.