SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — The University of Notre Dame plans to take over operations of five schools in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis through its Alliance for Catholic Education program.

The five schools formed the Mother Theodore Catholic Academies in 2005 to share financial resources and personnel and to gain support from a central office in an effort to continue serving the city’s most at-risk students.

Notre Dame also announced it is expanding its ACE program to St. Luke Catholic School in Palm Beach, Florida. ACE already operates two schools in Arizona and six in Florida.

The mission of the Notre Dame ACE Academies is to provide a Catholic education to as many children as possible through the resources of the university, local dioceses, state choice programs and local communities.