Across the nation, a surge of school closures within the Catholic education system has been witnessed.
A total of 75 Catholic educational institutions have declared their permanent cessation, with numerous announcements arriving in the past several weeks, an Epoch Times report reveals.
Major cities, including Philadelphia, Boston, and Cincinnati, are among the hardest hit by these closures.
A significant chunk of the shutdowns occurred in New York City, where the Catholic Archdiocese confirmed the closure of 12 schools by the end of this academic year.
Their decision to close was largely influenced by “shifting demographics and lower enrollment, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Several of these schools held a legendary status within their communities.
The Cambridge Matignon School in Massachusetts, renowned as a private Roman Catholic college-preparatory institution since its inception in 1945, is one such example.
Throughout its esteemed history, the school took pride in winning 10 ice hockey state championships and fostering the careers of 19 NHL draftees and three professional NFL players.
Furthermore, New Jersey’s Immaculate Conception High School, an all-girls establishment with a 108-year legacy, also announced its closure.
The primary reasons cited encompassed declining student numbers and fiscal struggles.
Down south in Texas, The Incarnate Word Academy, an institution with a storied 175-year history situated in the Rio Grande Valley, has also decided to cease operations by the year’s end.
Reflecting on the closure, Sister Annette Wagner, the superior general of the school, commented, “Several years of tracking diminishing enrollment and income have led to the conclusion that maintaining our school is no longer possible.”
