BELLEVILLE, Ill. � A Metro East Catholic school is closing this spring due
to low enrollment.

Notre Dame Academy in Belleville announced on Facebook that it will close
on May 31 this year.

St. Peter Cathedral Parish will assist families with placing students in
other area catholic schools for the next school year. The post said the
school has had enrollment "well below 100 students" since 2017, and U.S.
News and World Report said the school has 61 students.

The school will also help find new jobs for teachers and staff members.

According to the announcement, the school has been around for more than
175 years, first as Cathedral Grade School, then as Notre Dame Academy.
The announcement said the school had more than 1,000 students at one time,
but attendance has been slipping ever since.

The announcement cited declining population in the area, aging buildings
and a reduction in sponsorships from area parishes as reasons for the
closure.

"Our principal, Mrs. Linda Hobbs, and I met on January 11, 2024, to
discuss the financial impossibility of continuing past the current school
year, and I informed Bishop [Michael] McGovern and [Superintendent
Jonathan] Birdsong of our inability to support the school for another year
on that day," the post said. "Bishop McGovern has accepted these difficult
facts and the resulting decision."

Announcement: For more than 175 years, through the hard work, dedication,
and sacrifice of hundreds of Catholic...

Posted by Notre Dame Academy on Wednesday, January 17, 2024

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close-end-school-year/63-e37770bc-f832-48d5-b447-50858f815b42?ref=exit-
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