St Francis Xavier's at Hamilton, St Pius X and San Clemente high schools are all set to move to years 7-12 in a major overhaul of Newcastle's Catholic school system.
The Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle said the change would occur in a "staged and planned way" over the next five years. The first stage is expected to start in 2024 and the full transition completed by 2027.
The move was announced to teachers and parents on Thursday afternoon.
St Pius X at Adamstown and Mayfield's San Clemente are currently year 7-10 schools and feed into St Francis Xavier's at Hamilton for years 11 and 12.
The diocese said the current model of multiple year 7 to 10 schools feeding into a large senior secondary college was "an appropriate response to the educational needs and funding realities of the 1990s" but "the educational context of the current day has changed significantly".
"Contemporary research and recent case studies indicates that a more holistic, continuous educational experience from years 7 to 12, with relatively smaller year 12 cohorts, produces on balance, better long-term educational, spiritual and social outcomes for students," it said.
But the decision has drawn swift criticism. One parent said it was a "disappointing decision".
"Many parents send their children to local Catholic schools partly because SFX has a reputation for offering students a mature and focused environment while they do their HSC," the parent said.
Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle Catholic schools director Gerard Mowbray said "students' learning outcomes and wellbeing have been at the core of this decision making".
"In addition, we believe that delivering fully integrated education opportunities will lead to many other benefits including enhanced learning environments and opportunities for staff," he said.
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Each school will have consultation activities, such as listening assemblies, focus groups or individual interviews to discuss the change from June.
Independent Education Union branch organiser Carlo Rendina said the union intended to meet with their affected members and get feedback.
"There's going to be lots of concerns," Mr Rendina said. "There's a number of positives and negatives.
"Not every teacher is going to have the same view."
The timeline will result from discussions and detailed planning and may also be subject to change.
A comprehensive facilities audit and review will be undertaken as part of the planning to arrange for capital work submissions.
The dioceses said there will be little impact on students in the short term, but over the longer term, depending on the timing of any capital works or infrastructure requirements, current year 7 or year 8 students may be able to choose different options as to where they will undertake their final years of secondary studies.
The move follows a similar restructure in Maitland, where a review last year recommended closing the All Saints College St Mary's Campus, which caters for years 11 and 12, and merging it with the St Peter's campus, which would go from 7-10 year groups to 7-12. The expansion would be supplemented by land purchases and capital works.
That move was unpopular with many teachers and former students, with 4000 signatures on an online petition to save St Mary's from closure.
St Joseph's College Lochinvar, which used to feed into St Mary's, also expanded from a junior high school to include year 11 in 2018 and a full school in 2019.
