Philadelphia Archdiocese to close two schools

Two more Catholic elementary schools will close due to declining enrollment, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced today.

St. Benedict Parish School at 1919 Medary Ave. in East Germantown and St. Ann Parish School at 418 Jefferson Ave. in Bristol will close their doors in June.

The pastors of the two parishes informed parishoners recently that Cardinal Justin Rigali had accepted their recommendations to close the schools at the end of the current academic year.

St. Benedict has seen a steady decline in enrollment, the archdiocese said. A total of 164 children attend, and the number was expected to slip to 150 in the fall.

The enrollment at St. Ann has fallen sharply since 2000-01. Despite efforts to boost enrollment and raise money to defray the cost of tuition, only 125 students are attending the Bucks County elementary school this year.

Only five students pre-enrolled for the fall after the school announced that next year's tuition would be $4,000 for a parishoner's child and $5,000 for others.

The archdiocese said school administrators and the Office of Catholic Education will help families enroll at nearby Catholic schools.

Earlier this year, the archdiocese announced that St. Bernard in the Northeast and Our Lady of Peace in Milmont Park, Delaware County, would close in June.

Contact staff writer Martha Woodall at 215-854-2789 or at martha.woodall@phillynews.com