Education

Bayonne's Only Catholic High School to Close in June

NBCUniversal, Inc.

What to Know

  • A Catholic high school that has operated in New Jersey for nearly 70 years will be closing its doors in June due to years of declining enrollment numbers
  • Marist High School officials announced their “painful and difficult” decision Wednesday
  • The school is the only Catholic high school in Bayonne

A Catholic high school that has operated in New Jersey for nearly 70 years will be closing its doors in June due to years of declining enrollment numbers.

Marist High School officials announced their “painful and difficult” decision Wednesday. They said the school in Bayonne loses more than $1 million a year and can no longer sustain itself.

The school is the only Catholic high school in Bayonne.

The school nearly closed three years ago after officials said $1.5 million was needed to keep the school afloat. But it remained open after the school community raised $750,000 toward that goal.

However, the school's enrollment has continued to fall, dropping by 20% in the last four years. Today’s enrollment of 235 students is less half of what it was in 2008.

The school first opened its doors in 1954.

Several other Catholic schools in New Jersey have closed in recent years, mainly due to declining enrollment.

Copyright NBC New York/Associated Press
Contact Us