A Carnegie Catholic school that survived a flood of water cannot continue with a drought of students.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Elementary School will close in June at the end of the current school year, the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh said Sunday. The closing was announced during parish Mass.
Parishioners at Ave Maria Parish in Bentleyville, Washington County, also were told yesterday that their school will close at the end of this school year.
Declining enrollment was the reason cited for shuttering both schools.
"It's devastating to have to close a school. There's a great sadness on the part of everyone," said the Rev. Kris Stubna, the diocese's secretary for education. "Everybody has worked hard to keep them going. The numbers are so small it is impossible to make a go of it financially."
The diocese now has about 25,000 students in 98 elementary schools, and about 5,000 more in its 12 high schools, Stubna said.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton's school has operated in classrooms at nearby St. Ignatius since the Sept. 17, 2004, flood from the remnants of Hurricane Ivan. The school's flooded quarters remain unusable, Stubna said. He said flood damage did not factor into the school's closing.
According to the diocese, kindergarten through eighth grade enrollment at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton has dropped from 88 in 2004-05 to 50 this school year.
Continuing the school with only kindergarten through sixth grade and a minimum enrollment of 55 students was considered, but only 23 students enrolled by a March 23 registration deadline.
Ave Maria serves students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Enrollment there declined from 98 in 2002 to 76 this year, with next year's enrollment projected at no more than 54. The elementary school age population in the area has dropped by 50 percent, from 272 in 1991 to 141 in 2006, according to the diocese.
The diocese said the school was facing a $127,000 operating deficit for next year, which would have required tuition to double. Stubna could not say what tuition at the school is now. The average elementary school tuition in the diocese is $2,800 for the first child.
Continuing to operate the schools without enough students would strain their parishes, Stubna said. Ave Maria had an operating deficit last year of $11,000, according to the diocese.
Stubna said the diocese will work with parents of students at both schools to help them enroll their children in other nearby Catholic schools. He said the diocese is hopeful of not losing students.
"The parents who have remained with these schools are very committed to Catholic education. They have hung on until the end. Our hope is we can get all of them into another Catholic school," he said.
Representatives of three Catholic schools near Ave Maria -- John F. Kennedy, St. Patrick and Madonna Regional -- will visit Ave Maria within two weeks to outline their programs.
Parents of children attending St. Elizabeth Ann Seton have even more choices in the South Hills. Stubna cited Sts. Simon and Jude, Our Lady of Grace, St. Margaret and St. Philip as options.
