Marquette Academy is a private

Private school

Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...

, Roman Catholic high school

High school

High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

 in Ottawa, Illinois

Ottawa, Illinois

Ottawa is a city located at the confluence of the Illinois River and Fox River in LaSalle County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 18,786...

. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria

Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the central Illinois region of the United States.-Territory:...

.

History

Marquette High School was originally known as St. Joseph's. It began teaching grade school and high school level courses in 1859. The name was later changed to St. Xavier Academy in 1900 when the school became an all-girls high school.

In 1946, the school became a co-ed facility known as Ottawa Catholic High School. This only lasted three years, when the name was changed to Marquette High School in honor of Fr. Jacques Marquette.

The original St. Xavier's building served as the high school facility until 1991, when it was torn down. A new addition was built after the demolition to replace the original building and was connected to the wing that was built in 1949 when the school became a co-ed high school.

In the Fall of 2010, Marquette High School combined with the two privately funded Catholic Grade Schools in Ottawa, St. Patrick and St. Columba, and formed Marquette Academy, which house Pre-K through twelfth grades in three separate buildings. The high school campus remained the same, kindergarten through eighth grades are in the former St. Cloumba building, while preschool is in the early childhood center at St. Patrick's.

Athletics

Marquette High School is a member of the Tri-County Conference

Tri-County Conference (Illinois)

The Tri-County Conference is an affiliation of several small high schools in central Illinois. Current membership includes* Putnam County High School* Midland High School* Henry-Senachwine High School* Marquette High School* Roanoke-Benson High School...

 and the Big Rivers Conference for football, and currently competes in 13 sports.

Boys Sports -
Football, Golf, Cross Country, Wrestling, Basketball, Bowling, Baseball, Track & Field

Girls Sports -
Volleyball, Cross Country, Basketball, Bowling, Softball, Track & Field, Poms, Cheerleading

Notable alumni

• Bob McGrath
  Bob McGrath
  Robert Emmet "Bob" McGrath is an American singer and actor best known for playing the human character Bob on Sesame Street. He was born in Ottawa, Illinois. McGrath was named for Irish patriot Robert Emmet....
  
   is an actor and singer best known for his portrayal of Bob on Sesame Street
  Sesame Street
  Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
  
  .
• Guy Hoffman
  Guy Hoffman (baseball)
  Guy Alan Hoffman is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played all or part of six seasons in the major leagues between and . After his major league career, he played three seasons for the Orix BlueWave in Japan from until -Sources:...
  
  is a former professional baseball player.
• Bob Guyette is a former pro basketball player.