Bishop McNamara High School (BMHS, McNamara, or Mac) is a private, Catholic coed high school in Forestville CDP in unincorporated Prince George's County, Maryland. The school is in the Holy Cross tradition offering a college preparatory curriculum and a range of Fine Arts, athletics and activities. Founded in 1964 by the Congregation of Holy Cross, Bishop McNamara is located on a 14-acre campus in Forestville, Maryland, United States, just 7 miles south of Washington, D.C., serving students ranging from six different Maryland counties, Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia and is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. The school bears the name of Bishop John Michael McNamara, a former auxiliary bishop to the Archbishops of Baltimore and Washington and the founder of St. Gabriel's parish in Washington, D.C.

History

Built on a site adjacent to Mount Calvary Catholic Church on Marlboro Pike in Forestville, Maryland, Bishop McNamara High School is a result of Msgr. Peter Paul Rakowski's plan to build a Catholic high school for boys, and one for girls in the southern part of Prince George's County. To that end, in 1962, Patrick A. O'Boyle, archbishop of Washington, D.C., extended an invitation to the Brothers of Holy Cross to administer and staff the new high school, which would serve the county and parts of Washington, DC. Bishop McNamara High School admitted its first classes (freshman and sophomore) of 334 boys in 1964. In the academic year 1992–93, the school became co-educational when it accepted girls from La Reine High School, an all girls' school in nearby Suitland that had been closed. Enrollment at both schools had been dwindling for some years, following a trend in private schools across the county as a result of the recession.

Academics

Bishop McNamara High School provides a Catholic, college-preparatory education. Bishop McNamara High School provides a variety of courses to help students meet the requirements for college admission or other types of professional preparation. Beyond the core academic courses, Bishop McNamara offers:

Fine Arts

The Fine Arts Department at Bishop McNamara offers one of the arts educations in the Washington, D.C.. The F.A.D.E. program, Fine Arts Diploma Endorsement, is unique to Bishop McNamara. With band, orchestra, choir, theatre, dance and visual arts course offerings, Bishop McNamara High School's Fine Arts Department provides opportunities for student participation. The Fine Arts Programs include:

Athletics

Bishop McNamara competes in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference at the Varsity and Junior Varsity levels in the following sports: Fall - Football, Women's Tennis, Volleyball, Cross Country, Women's Soccer, Men's Soccer, and Cheerleading Winter - Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Swimming, Wrestling, Cheerleading, and Indoor Track Spring - Baseball, Softball, Men's Tennis, Men's Lacrosse, Women's Lacrosse, Track & Field, and Golf Each year student-athletes are selected to the WCAC All-Conference teams, Washington Post All-Met Teams, Maryland All-State Teams, MSABC All State Team, as well as other national, state and conference awards. In 2013, thirteen student-athletes signed with Division 1 colleges and universities, such as the University of Maryland College Park, Georgia Tech, Fordham University, VCU, UMBC, Sienna College, University of Toledo, Columbia University, University of Tennessee, and George Mason University. Bishop McNamara's women's basketball team has established itself as one of the premier teams in not only the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) but the entire nation as well. In 2005, the team was ranked #1 by USA Today, and the team finished with only one loss in the WCAC semifinals. In the 2008 and 2020 seasons, the Lady Mustangs became WCAC champions.

Notable alumni