Chicago Archdiocese Announces Closure of Six Catholic Grade Schools Amid Enrollment Decline and Financial Strains
The Archdiocese of Chicago is set to close six more Catholic grade schools this year, citing declining enrollment and ongoing financial losses. The decision affects four schools in the city and two in the suburbs, leaving parents and educators with heavy hearts.
Four schools in Chicago will be among those to shut its doors: St. Bruno and St. Richard, both with an average of just 191 students between them; St. Jerome, which has struggled to retain its student body, currently at 114 across its two campuses; St. Francis Borgia, with 157 students; and St. Stanislaus Kostka, which will lose 137 students.
The closures are part of a broader trend of declining enrollment in Catholic schools, with the archdiocese citing the loss of scholarships from programs like Invest in Kids as a major contributor to the decline. The program, which was terminated at the end of 2023, allowed taxpayers to earn an income tax credit by donating to scholarship funds that sent lower-income students to private schools.
The church's clergy sex abuse scandals in the early 2000s have also taken a significant toll on the archdiocese's finances, resulting in multimillion-dollar settlements and ongoing financial strain. As a result, enrollment numbers have continued to decline, with just over 67,000 students currently enrolled across 186 Catholic schools in Cook and Lake counties.
The closures are set to be felt particularly hard by local communities, which have come to rely on these schools as an integral part of their neighborhoods. Eleventh Ward Alderman Nicole Lee has expressed her sadness at the closure of St. Jerome in Armour Square, built in 1922 and originally attended by the area's Croatian population.
"This school has played a big role in educating our young people, and the loss of this institution will be deeply felt," she said on social media.
School officials have acknowledged that demographic trends in the area have not worked in their favor, with St. Jerome Pastor Reverend Antonio Musa attributing his school's decline to the loss of scholarships after Illinois ended funding for private school tuition. Despite investing $4.5 million into campus renovations over the past few years, the financial burden has become "unbearable," leading the Archdiocese to make the difficult decision to close the school.
As the archdiocese navigates this uncertain future, educators and community members are left to mourn the loss of these institutions and worry about the impact on local families.
The Archdiocese of Chicago is set to close six more Catholic grade schools this year, citing declining enrollment and ongoing financial losses. The decision affects four schools in the city and two in the suburbs, leaving parents and educators with heavy hearts.
Four schools in Chicago will be among those to shut its doors: St. Bruno and St. Richard, both with an average of just 191 students between them; St. Jerome, which has struggled to retain its student body, currently at 114 across its two campuses; St. Francis Borgia, with 157 students; and St. Stanislaus Kostka, which will lose 137 students.
The closures are part of a broader trend of declining enrollment in Catholic schools, with the archdiocese citing the loss of scholarships from programs like Invest in Kids as a major contributor to the decline. The program, which was terminated at the end of 2023, allowed taxpayers to earn an income tax credit by donating to scholarship funds that sent lower-income students to private schools.
The church's clergy sex abuse scandals in the early 2000s have also taken a significant toll on the archdiocese's finances, resulting in multimillion-dollar settlements and ongoing financial strain. As a result, enrollment numbers have continued to decline, with just over 67,000 students currently enrolled across 186 Catholic schools in Cook and Lake counties.
The closures are set to be felt particularly hard by local communities, which have come to rely on these schools as an integral part of their neighborhoods. Eleventh Ward Alderman Nicole Lee has expressed her sadness at the closure of St. Jerome in Armour Square, built in 1922 and originally attended by the area's Croatian population.
"This school has played a big role in educating our young people, and the loss of this institution will be deeply felt," she said on social media.
School officials have acknowledged that demographic trends in the area have not worked in their favor, with St. Jerome Pastor Reverend Antonio Musa attributing his school's decline to the loss of scholarships after Illinois ended funding for private school tuition. Despite investing $4.5 million into campus renovations over the past few years, the financial burden has become "unbearable," leading the Archdiocese to make the difficult decision to close the school.
As the archdiocese navigates this uncertain future, educators and community members are left to mourn the loss of these institutions and worry about the impact on local families.
so sad to hear about the closure of six more catholic schools in chicago 
67k students is a huge drop from just a few years ago 
i remember reading about the clergy sex abuse scandals and how it affected the archdiocese's finances 
those settlements were massive 
but it seems like they've had to make some tough decisions 
hopefully these closures can lead to positive changes in the way catholic schools are run 
. these catholic schools have been around for ages and now they're just disappearing one by one... it's like a part of history is being erased 
. and yeah, the clergy sex abuse scandals have left a mark on these schools too... but still, it feels like the system is failing when we should be finding ways to support these institutions, not closing them down 
- maybe it's time to explore alternative uses for these buildings or even community-led initiatives to keep them alive? I mean, St. Jerome has been a staple in Armour Square since 1922, how can you just close doors like that? 
It's not all doom and gloom though, the Archdiocese has invested so much into the schools already, maybe they could have found ways to adapt or even get more creative with their funding? The community needs to come together to support these schools, we can't let them just disappear 
i feel for those schools especially st jerome in armour square it's like they're saying goodbye to a part of their history & community. the church has been going through some tough times with all the scandals back in the 2000s and it's not surprising that enrollment is down. $4.5 million in renovations wasn't enough to turn things around? i hope the archdiocese can find a way to keep more schools open, maybe explore new ways of funding or community partnerships.