Low enrollment forces Catholic school in San Antonio to close its doors.
St. Margaret Mary School in San Antonio, Texas, will permanently close its doors after 60 years and not reopen for the 2017-2018 school year.
KSAT-TV reports that the school cited “a very significant financial deficit for the upcoming year" as the reason it can no longer stay open.
The school had only 53 students registered for the fall semester.
The school opened in 1956 with an enrollment of 746 students, the school said in a release. The numbers peaked in 1960 with more than 1,038 students.
Over the ensuing years, declining enrollment, economic uncertainties and changing demographics led to the eventual closure of the school's junior high — encompassing grades six, seven and eight — in spring 2017.
School officials announced low enrollment numbers in the pre-school grades, with no students enrolled in the pre-K 3 program.
The Archdiocese of San Antonio has 39 schools, according to officials, with a total enrollment of more than 12,000 students.