Archdiocese to close two more Bronx Catholic schools

For 171 years, Immaculate Conception School in the Melrose section of the South Bronx, has been educating the children of the neighborhood ever since they opened their doors in 1854 when the area was a small village and still part of Westchester County.

Now, along with Sacred Heart School in Highbridge, the Archdiocese of New York announced that both schools will cease to operate as Catholic institutions of learning and taken over by Brilla Schools Network, a system of public charter schools in the borough.

According to a press release issued by the Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of New York, Sr. Mary Grace Walsh, ASCJ, Ph.D., Superintendent of Schools, stated in a letter to parents, “While this marks the end of these campuses as Catholic institutions, education of children will not end here.” Sr. Mary Grace further added the Brilla Schools Network plans to operate the closed schools as public charter schools in collaboration with Seton Education Partners, which will also offer an optional Catholic extended-day program.

The closing of these two educational institutions as Catholic schools is a trend that has been going on within the Archdiocese of New York for the better part of the decade which has seen over a dozen Catholic schools shuttered.

Many of these school closures have also come with the closing of their churches and merging with other parishes to make way for affordable housing like was in the case of St Augustine in Morrisania and Our Lady of Pity in Melrose.

According to the Office of the Superintendent of Schools of the Archdiocese of New York, Brilla School is providing a guaranteed lottery preference for all current students of Immaculate Conception School and Sacred Heart School and will also be extended to their siblings. In order to be considered, families are required to complete the formal enrollment process.

More, detailed information on the process will be provided by Brilla in the coming days. For parents wishing for their children to continue at a Catholic school within the Archdiocese, they are encouraged to visit their website for updated information, speak with the principal, or contact the Office of the Superintendent at super.intendent@archny.org for further guidance.

“We recognize that this announcement may bring mixed emotions—gratitude for the decades of Catholic education and sadness as we close this chapter in these schools’ history,” Sr. Mary Grace wrote to parents.

“With faith, we may also see this time as a gift of the Holy Spirit, guiding us toward an opportunity that will continue to serve our children and communities with care, love, and dedication.”