Four Catholic schools in New York City will close at the end of the academic year, officials said this week.
The following schools will not reopen in September, the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn said in separate news releases:
- St. Catherine of Genoa — St. Thérèse of Lisieux Catholic Academy in Flatbush, Brooklyn
- Salve Regina Catholic Academy in East New York, Brooklyn
- St. Matthias Catholic Academy in Ridgewood, Queens
- St. Simon Stock School in the Fordham Heights section of the Bronx
The Archdiocese of New York said Transfiguration School in Westchester County will also close its doors this year.
“Unfortunately, shifting demographics and lower enrollment have significantly impacted the ability for these schools to continue operation,” the Archdiocese of New York said of St. Simon Stock School and Transfiguration School. “Affected families will be welcomed in neighboring Catholic schools, with applications for financial aid and scholarships available for the upcoming academic year where applicable.”
The Diocese of Brooklyn, meanwhile, said the decision to close the three schools in Queens and Brooklyn was “based on unsustainable trends in enrollment and finances over the last five years.”
In a statement, the Diocese of Brooklyn’s superintendent of schools, Deacon Kevin McCormack, said the three schools would “focus on celebrating their students and preparing them for the next chapter of their education.”
“We understand this is indeed a sad day for our Catholic schools community,” the superintendent of schools for the Archdiocese of New York, Sister Mary Grace Walsh, said in her own statement. “However, as we process this news, we must resolve that the great tradition of Catholic education in New York will continue, and we will assist all families to find a seat at another excellent school in the Archdiocese.”
Last year, the Archdiocese of New York announced that 12 Catholic schools in Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island would close at the end of the academic year.