Greenwich's Stanwich School, a private pre Kindergarten through 9th grade institution, has leased another school building in Stamford. The Sacred Heart Academy building, located on Strawberry Hill Avenue, has been vacant since the Catholic school closed in 2006 due to declining enrollment. The longtime owners of the school and property, The Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambery, are leasing the building to Stanwich School for four years in a deal announced Wednesday.

According to Stanwich School Headmistress Pat Brown, this greatly accelerates plans already in motion to expand the school through 12 grade.The additional temporary space in Stamford with at least 57,000 square feet, enables Stanwich to add grades faster than originally planned. In January, Greenwich Planing and Zoning approved a major building expansion on the exisiting Stanwich Road property. The school currently has 475 students.