PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The oldest all-girls Catholic high school in the nation and another high school in Montgomery County are being closed by the Philadelphia Archdiocese at the end of this school year because of declining enrollment.
John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls’ High School in Center City with a storied history of more than 100 years and Bishop McDevitt High School in Glenside, which opened in 1958, will close for good in June.
Archdiocesan Superintendent Sister Maureen McDermott said the current numbers aren’t good and future enrollment prospects are dim.
“Both of these schools, enrollment is below 400, in the ballpark of about 360. Looking at the elementary schools around and what actually is available in student population, the decline would also continue in those schools,” she explained.
McDermott said it was a difficult and painful decision, but one that had to be made now to give students and their families an opportunity to transfer to any of the 15 remaining high schools in the archdiocese.
McDermott said transfers would not be regulated by geography, but on the ability of the students to find transportation.
“Today is one of great sadness,” said Archbishop Nelson Pérez in a statement. “Catholic education is a precious gift that bears lifelong fruit to all those who receive it. The closure of any Catholic school is deeply painful, most especially for the students, teachers, faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters so intimately connected to them.”
Perez said he knows the closing announcement will weigh heavily on the Hallahan and McDevitt communities.
“I share in that grief,” he said. “Understanding that this moment is one of extreme difficulty, I pledge that I will provide every possible assistance during this transition and that the rich legacy of these schools will be upheld.”