The Archdiocese of Chicago announced five additional school closures across Illinois ahead of National Catholic Schools Week, citing low enrollment and financial strain.
The schools — Sts. Bruno & Richard School, St. Francis Borgia School, St. Jerome Catholic School in Chicago, St. Hubert Catholic School in Hoffman Estates and Our Lady of Humility in Beach Park — will close at the end of the 2025-26 school year, the archdiocese confirmed Thursday. Catholic Schools Week, the celebration of Catholic education across the U.S., began Sunday.
“We made these decisions with heavy hearts after months of discussions with each school. We know the importance of these schools in each community,” said Greg Richmond, superintendent of schools for the archdiocese, in a statement.
“Many people have worked hard at each school to raise money and try to boost enrollment,” Richmond said. “We recognize and value those efforts but, in the end, the schools were not able to close the gaps and they are no longer sustainable.”
St. Stanislaus Kostka Academy was the first local Catholic school to announce plans to close at the end of the school year in a letter dated Jan. 15. The West Town-based elementary school has operated for 151 years.
Each school had fewer than 250 students during the 2024-25 school year, including St. Jerome’s, which had just over 100 students across its two campuses, according to state enrollment data.
Parents, educators and community members across the six schools have raised concerns about the timing of the closures, especially amid fundraising efforts.
St. Hubert raised more than $600,000 in fiscal year 2025 through fundraising and external funding, according to its annual report.
Given the community’s efforts, the school closure feels premature, according to Jillian Bernas Garcia, whose two children attend St. Hubert.
“I’m angry right now,” Bernas Garcia said. “I’m not convinced that our school needs to close.”
At St. Francis Borgia in Dunning, parents and alumni started a GoFundMe to save the school. But former St. Francis parent and alumnus Rose Dante said she and other community members are heartbroken.
“I’m devastated,” said an emotional Dante. “This has been really hard for everybody involved.”
Maria Des Jarlait, a teacher at St. Hubert said the school closures have her wondering one thing.
“Where’s the compassion from the archdiocese,” Des Jarlait said. “I don’t understand why they would do that to us.”
The six schools are expected to operate normally through the remainder of the school year, the archdiocese wrote in a statement.
They will also assist affected families in enrolling in other Catholic schools and help teachers and staff find employment at schools within the archdiocese, according to the statement.
Currently, the archdiocese has 179 schools across the Chicago area.
