The Office of the Superintendent of Schools of the Archdiocese of New York announced on Wednesday, May 1, that two Catholic schools, including one in Fordham Heights, will cease operations at the end of the 2023-24 academic year.

Representatives for the Archdiocese said St. Simon Stock School, located on 2195 Valentine Avenue, The Bronx, and Transfiguration School in Westchester are the two impacted schools.

They said that careful deliberation, research, and analysis went into the final determination of which schools would not reopen, and that “unfortunately, shifting demographics and lower enrollment have significantly impacted the ability for these schools to continue operation.” They said the affected families will be welcomed in neighboring Catholic schools, with applications for financial aid and scholarships available for the upcoming academic year where applicable. They said additional information will be shared with school constituencies in the coming days.

“We understand this is indeed a sad day for our Catholic schools community,” said Sister Mary Grace Walsh, ASCJ, Ph.D., superintendent of schools for the Archdiocese of New York. “However, as we process this news, we must resolve that the great tradition of Catholic education in New York will continue, and we will assist all families to find a seat at another excellent school in the Archdiocese.”

Last year, we reported how Success Academy Charter School had opened on the former site of the now closed St. Brendan Catholic School, which had been educating students in the neighborhood for over a century, having been founded in 1908. The charter school opening followed what were ultimately unsuccessful protests in February 2023, by staff, students and parents of students attending the Catholic school.

St. Brendan’s closure was part of an announcement on Feb. 15, 2023 that 11 other Catholic schools across the City would close and four, additional Catholic schools in The Bronx would merge into two. That news followed the previous closure of six other Catholic schools in The Bronx in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic due to declining income, as reported at the time. Of the twelve impacted school closures announced in 2023, six were, once again, located in The Bronx, five were in Manhattan, and one was on Staten Island.

Of the latest announced closures, officials said the Office of the Superintendent of Schools’ Directors of Enrollment will provide each family with information and answer any questions that they may have, whether about enrollment, transportation, or tuition. They said the best resource for continually updated information will always be https://catholicschoolsny.org/announcements.

They said the Office of the Superintendent is dedicated to working in coordination with the teachers’ union to do everything it can to help faculty of the affected schools find employment within the other Catholic schools.

We’ve reached out to the Archdiocese for confirmation of the affected number of students and staff at each school and will confirm asap.