The 2012 Archdiocese of Philadelphia school closings was the solution to the reducing enrollment problem of the

Archdiocese of Philadelphia The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Philadelphia is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in southeastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. It covers the City and County of Philadelphia as well a ...

, caused mainly by demographic shifts and an increasing number of students enrolling in unaffiliated schools. Because of this, tuition rates had to be raised, causing fewer families to be able to afford the cost. Being in the decision process for years, the list was finalized by the Blue Ribbon Commission on January 6, 2012 at around 11:00 AM. The schools were informed soon afterward, and they were all officially announced during the press conference at 4:00 PM.

History

In December 2010, the Blue Ribbon Commission was created by Cardinal Justin Rigali to address the enrollment and financial issues. The enrollment had a 35% drop since the year 2001, and it was decided to close some schools so that the property could be sold and the profit used to help the archdiocese. Archbishop Charles Chaput became head of the archdiocese in September 2011 and pledged full support to the Blue Ribbon Commission. Rumors soon started spreading about what would become of different schools.

Archbishop John Carroll High School Archbishop John Carroll High School is a four-year secondary school part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, located in Radnor, Pennsylvania, on a 55-acre campus. History Archbishop John Carroll High School was opened in Septemb ...

, which turned out not being on the recommendation list, had strong rumors of it closing so that

Monsignor Bonner High School Monsignor Bonner High School was an all-male Augustinian Catholic High School in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It was located in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. Bonner was created in 1953 as Archbishop Prendergast High School for Bo ...

and

Archbishop Prendergast High School Archbishop Prendergast High School was an all-girl Catholic high school in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It has been merged with Monsignor Bonner High School and renamed. It is located in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. The school is ...

could officially merge, making a fair count of one high school closing in Delaware County. Suspense built up during the week of the announcement date, making every Archdiocesan school nervous about what would happen. On Friday, January 6 at 10:00 AM, all presidents, principals, and pastors of the Archdiocesan schools reported at Neumann University to hear of what would become of their respective schools. At 12:00 PM, assemblies were held to tell the students and faculty whether their school would close or stay open. All high schools were to be dismissed at 1:00 PM. A press conference was held at 4:00 PM that day by the Blue Ribbon Commission to officially announce which schools were closing. All closing schools completed the 2011–2012 school year and officially closed in June.

List of school closings

The following is a list of the schools that will be closing at the end of the 2011-2012 school year.

Elementary schools

There is a total of 44 out of the 156 elementary schools in the archdiocese that will close. Seven schools in Delaware County were leaked before the official announcement. The rest will be announced during the press conference at 4:00 PM.

Delaware County

* Annunciation BVM, Haverford * Holy Savior-St. John Fisher, Lower Chichester * Our Lady of Fatima,

Secane Secane is an unincorporated community in Ridley Township and Upper Darby Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. At its center is retail shopping and a commuter rail station. Immediately surrounding the center are four large ga ...

* St. Cyril of Alexandria, East Lansdowne * St. Francis de Sales,

Aston Aston is an area of inner Birmingham, England. Located immediately to the north-east of Central Birmingham, Aston constitutes a ward within the metropolitan authority. It is approximately 1.5 miles from Birmingham City Centre. History Aston wa ...

* St. Gabriel, Norwood * St. John Chrysostom

High schools

5 of the 17 high schools in the archdiocese will also be closing. They were all announced early in the day on January 6. No schools were closed in the counties of Montgomery or

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

. *

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

Conwell-Egan Catholic High School Conwell-Egan Catholic High School is a coeducational, Catholic school, Catholic high school in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania, Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Athletics ...

Bucks Bucks may refer to: Places * Buckinghamshire, England, abbreviated Bucks * Bucks, Alabama, United States, an unincorporated community * Bucks, Illinois, United States, an unincorporated community * Bucks, Michigan, an unincorporated community ...

, Delaware *

St. Hubert Catholic High School for Girls St. Hubert Catholic High School for Girls is a private Catholic preparatory school for girls located in the Holmesburg neighborhood Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With over 425 students, it is the largest all-girls school in Philadelphia. The schoo ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

West Catholic Preparatory High School West Catholic Preparatory High School is a co-educational Catholic high school in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at 45th and Chestnut Streets, the University City neighborhood of West Philadelphia. ...

, Philadelphia

Reactions

The week after the students returned from Christmas break, from Tuesday, January 3 up to the announcements at 4:00 PM on Friday, was reportedly the most suspenseful. Many teachers, students, and parents criticized the long wait and were hoping that leaks would reveal the information early. The closing of West Catholic High School came as such a shock that the term "West Catholic" was trending on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

after the announcement.

Conwell-Egan High School

Teachers who were told of the announcement before the students arrived at the assemblies around 12:00 PM were "red from crying." Interviewed students of closing schools were overwhelmingly upset about the results, while students from on-the-fence schools were relieved. After the closing schools let out at 1:00 PM, many of the students were shown on news stations hugging each other and crying.

Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast High Schools

Students and staff of these schools reportedly shared similar reactions to those of Conwell-Egan. Several students reported on how sad the situation was, and photos were released of students hugging and crying on the campus.

References

{{Reflist 2012 in education