The options for Catholic education in the Bronx and surrounding areas continue to shrink, as three longstanding Bronx schools announced plans to close at the end of the academic year. This follows the Archdiocese of New York’s February 2023 decision to shutter 12 schools citywide, including six in the Bronx.
The latest closures will see three longstanding Bronx institutions shut down: All Hallows High School, established in 1909, Sacred Heart School in Highbridge, which has operated since 1926, and Immaculate Conception School in Melrose, since 1854.
All Hallows, a private (non-archdiocesan) school near Yankee Stadium, announced it will graduate its last class of students this June after a recent fundraising campaign failed to pull it back from the financial brink.
The school cited “decades of financial distress and an aging building in need of systemic rehabilitation and upgrades” as the main reasons for the “painful but necessary” decision. Families were informed Jan. 16, and both All Hallows staff and the Archdiocese pledged to help families enroll in other Catholic schools.
The threat of closure loomed for “quite some time,” according to the announcement. All Hallows is currently operating at a deficit of $1.7 million, which is projected to exceed $2 million by next year. The school also cited challenges with keeping tuition manageable amid the increasing costs of education per student: tuition is $7,500 but the cost per student is $11,000, according to the release.
Enrollment at All Hallows has also declined by one-third over the past three years, and even going co-ed did not give the numbers enough of a boost. Currently there are 325 students, compared to 514 in 2018.
The school also pointed to the aging building, which requires a “complete overhaul” of electrical, plumbing, roofing and more, as well as a decline in giving.
“We continually and collaboratively explored a number of possibilities to remain operational, but none of them provided a financially viable pathway,” said Brother Patrick Moffett, chair of the board of trustees, in the release.
“While the decision to close this remarkable institution is deeply saddening, we honor its legacy of cultivating generations of faith-filled leaders who have positively impacted our communities and the world,” said Sister Mary Grace Walsh, superintendent of schools for the Archdiocese of New York.
Sacred Heart School in Highbridge and Immaculate Conception School in Melrose, both affiliated with the archdiocese, also announced closures on Jan. 17.
Brilla Schools charter network will take over both buildings and give enrollment lottery preference to current students and families of Sacred Heart, Immaculate Conception and any other schools that are closing, according to a spokesperson for the network.
Brilla will also provide an optional Catholic extended-day program using the El Camino Catechesis Curriculum, which “will allow the continuation of nurturing faith, values, and a sense of community in meaningful ways,” said Walsh in a statement.
“We recognize that this announcement may bring mixed emotions—gratitude for the decades of Catholic education and sadness as we close this chapter in these schools’ history.”
This story was updated Jan. 20 at 11:30 a.m. to include details provided by a Brilla network spokesperson and to correct the date of Sacred Heart’s opening.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
