Queen Of Martyrs Announces It Will Not Reopen In The Fall

Chicago Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of Chicago sent a letter to families Monday morning stating that Queen of Martyrs School will not reopen in the fall for the 2026-2027 school year.

The Chicago Archdiocese attributed the “difficult decision” to projected enrollment, which has left the school with limited resources needed to sustain future operations. In 2024, the St. Bernadette parish in Evergreen Park formally merged with the Queen of Martyrs parish, which changed its name to St. Gianna. The school, which opened in the 1950s, retained the name Queen of Martyrs.

“I recognize that this news is painful, and the timing of this announcement is especially difficult,” Supt. Greg Richmond of Chicago Catholic Schools said in a letter to parents. “Families and staff deserve as much time as possible to prepare for the coming year, and I am sorry that this decision is occurring in June.”

Richmond went on to explain that Queen of Martyrs, which straddles the border of Evergreen Park and Mount Greenwood at 10233 S. Central Park Ave., has experienced a long-term decline in enrollment. In 2016, more than 325 students were enrolled in the Catholic elementary school. This year, enrollment had fallen to 178 students, and projected enrollment for the next year is only about 140.

“The decline in next year’s enrollment would create an under-resourced school unable to provide the quality of education students need and deserve,” Richmond said. “Fewer students means fewer resources to provide the modern, rigorous and holistic education that parents expect from a Catholic school.”

Richmond also acknowledged earlier events of this year, when a substitute teacher with a history of past child molestation allegations had somehow eluded fingerprint and background checks. The archdiocese defended itself, saying the teacher, Brett Smith, had used various aliases. Smith was later charged with molesting an Orland Park boy who had been hired to tutor the school, as well as a battery charge involving an Evergreen Park student. The revelation “shook the trust of some families and contributed to their decision to leave,” Richmond stated.

In the coming weeks, the Archdiocese and school leadership will work with families as they consider Catholic school options in the fall.

Related Coverage:

- Parishioners Eulogize St. Bernadette At Last Mass With Tears, Memories

- Queen Of Martyrs Fires Substitute Teacher With History Of Child Molestation Allegations- Tutor Detained On Criminal Sexual Abuse Charge Involving 9-Year-Old Orland Boy

- Substitute With Trail of Child Molestation Allegations Faces New Charge In Evergreen Park

-New Principal Named, Queen of Martyrs Administrators, Archdiocese Sued Over Sub Scandal