8 More NJ Catholic Schools Won’t Reopen, Newark Archdiocese Says

NEWARK, NJ — The Newark Archdiocese won't be reopening eight Catholic elementary schools due to enrollment loss and “financial challenges” from the coronavirus pandemic, church leaders announced Tuesday.

The schools slated to close this fall are located in Newark, Bergenfield, Bogota and Rutherford:

• Transfiguration Academy, Bergenfield
• St. Joseph Academy, Bogota
• The Academy of St. Mary, Rutherford
• St. Francis Xavier, Newark
• Ironbound Catholic Academy, Newark

In addition, the archdiocese will be consolidating three of its other schools:

• St. Joseph of the Palisades, West New York, will welcome the school communities of Mother Seton in Union City and St. Augustine School in Union City to their campus
• St. Joseph the Carpenter, Roselle, will welcome Our Lady of Guadalupe in Elizabeth to their campus

The schools were already seeing “formidable” financial challenges before the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, the archdiocese has been monitoring their projected enrollment, “increasing financial fragility” and the level of support they would need to keep afloat, church leaders said.

“Noting that funding resources for Catholic Schools in the archdiocese were critically reduced since the outbreak of COVID-19 and that paid registrations for the 2020-2021 school year are dramatically reduced, the office of schools and finance office agreed that the current status of some schools is unsustainable,” the archdiocese stated.

Families affected by the closures were encouraged to enroll in nearby Catholic schools, and were offered assistance with the transition, including tuition assistance for the 2020-2021 school year. Career resources and support, including assistance in identifying possible employment opportunities elsewhere in the archdiocese, will be provided for affected faculty and staff members, church leaders said.

Cardinal Joseph Tobin, archbishop of Newark, offered his “prayers and support” to all those affected by the impending changes.

“I recognize that this news is profoundly painful for our students and their families, teachers and principals, school communities, and those who support Catholic education, as well as for our archdiocesan community,” Tobin said.

“The difficult decision to further consolidate our Catholic schools follows considerable discussion and examination of their viability under the continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Tobin said.

Education remains a “crucial element” in the life and mission of the archdiocese, Tobin added.

Tuesday’s announcement hasn’t been the only wave of bad news for Catholic school students in North Jersey. In May, the archdiocese announced it will be closing 10 of its schools in Newark, Cresskill, Fair Lawn, Caldwell, Irvington, East Orange, Springfield, New Providence, Union and Elizabeth.

• See related article: Archdiocese Permanently Closing 10 Catholic Schools In New Jersey
• See related article: Caldwell Parents Fight To Save Trinity Academy From Closure

Composed of 58 elementary schools and 23 secondary schools, the Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Newark serve more than 25,000 students across Bergen, Hudson, Essex, and Union counties.

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