St. Alphonsus Catholic School in Brooklyn Center To Close After 65 Years
Brooklyn Center School to Close in May, Ending 65-Year Run
After a 65-year run, a Brooklyn Center school is shutting its doors.
St. Alphonsus Catholic School will be closing effective May 31. The closure will come as classes are wrapping up for this academic year.
In a press release, Pastor John Schmidt of St. Alphonsus said the closure follows approximately a decade of declining enrollment.
“This decision weighs heavily on me, particularly as someone who received his education through parish schools,” Schmidt said. “In recent years, significant shifts have occurred within our community. Over the past 10 years, our enrollment has dropped from 175 students in the 2013-2014 school year to fewer than 100 students this current school year. This decrease in enrollment has caused a significant decrease in tuition dollars, which has made it increasingly difficult to continue the operation of the school.”
Students are pictured in a St. Alphonsus Catholic School classroom in 2018. The Brooklyn Center school will be closing effective May 31.
Teacher Shortage
Schmidt also said a shortage of teachers played a role in the decision to close the school, which opened in 1959.
“In addition to the labor shortage in the teaching profession across the country, 33 teachers have left our school since 2017, and we currently have several open full-time teaching positions we are struggling to fill,” he said. “The parish financial support of the school continues to increase, which affects our ability to minister well to all our parishioners.”
The parish is recommending students consider transferring to another area Catholic school.
“It is my firm belief that a parish school should provide a robust education and serve as a growing resource for the community,” Schmidt said. “Regrettably, St. Alphonsus School is presently unable to fulfill these objectives. I am confident that our children will be better served by transferring to another Catholic school within our area.”
