Barbara Rogers, who led Newton Country Day School of the Sacred Heart for 34 years as headmistress, died Monday, Sept. 7, in Barnstable. She was a member of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

A wake will be held Friday, Sept. 11, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the school, 785 Centre St. The school warned that a Boston College home football game will add traffic to the area and asked attendees to allow extra time. A funeral Mass follows Saturday, Sept. 12, at 11:30 a.m. at Campion Center, 319 Concord Road, Weston.

Rogers arrived at Newton Country Day in 1988 and became headmistress in 1989. The school said she inherited an institution facing declining enrollment and significant financial pressure. By the time she stepped down in 2023, enrollment had more than doubled. The endowment had grown from roughly $200,000 to more than $50 million, according to the school's tribute published Sept. 9.

The school's student body now numbers nearly 400 girls drawn from 65 communities, with all graduates going on to colleges and universities, according to a College of the Holy Cross profile published in May 2025.

Rogers oversaw construction of the Sweeney-Husson building, which houses a theater, science laboratories and Middle School facilities. She also expanded the library and classroom spaces, renovated the Chapel and created the Kathleen R. Martin Wellness Center. Tuition assistance grew substantially under her watch, and the school established the Sacred Heart Endowment in her honor to fund future scholarships.

Before Newton, Rogers worked at Sacred Heart schools in Washington, Princeton and Miami. A graduate of Elmhurst Academy of the Sacred Heart and Manhattanville College, she entered the Society of the Sacred Heart in 1978 and later earned an MBA from Yale School of Management.

In May 2025, the College of the Holy Cross awarded Rogers an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters at its commencement ceremony in Worcester. Holy Cross President Vincent D. Rougeau praised Rogers and fellow honoree Linda LeMura at the ceremony, calling their commitment to education an inspiration to the campus community. Rogers had served on the Holy Cross board of trustees from 2016 to 2024.

A Mass of Remembrance is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 15, at 4:30 p.m. in the school's chapel. In lieu of flowers, the school asks that donations be directed to the Sacred Heart Endowment at Newton Country Day School, 785 Centre St., Newton, MA 02458, or to the Society of the Sacred Heart, United States–Canada Province.