Seven elementary schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn will close down at the end of the 2025–26 academic year due to enrollment decline and financial struggles, the diocese announced this week.
“This is an extraordinarily difficult moment for our school communities,” said Deacon Kevin McCormack, superintendent of schools. “These schools have served generations of families with dedication and faith. The decision to close them was made only after careful consideration and with great sorrow.”
According to the announcement, enrollment has declined significantly in the past six years at each of the schools.
“As a result,” the announcement states, “all the schools above are collectively operating with deficits totaling millions of dollars, creating an unsustainable financial situation."
The diocese is closing Sacred Heart in Cambria Heights, Queens, St. Bartholomew in Elmhurst, Queens, St. Nicholas of Tolentine in Jamaica, Queens, Incarnation in Queens Village, Queens, St. Thomas the Apostle in Woodhaven, Queens, St. Elizabeth in Ozone Park, Queens, and Our Lady of Trust in Canarsie, Brooklyn. Each of these schools has less than 200 students.
The diocese will help families find other diocesan schools to attend and it is providing resources for the closing schools’ faculty and staff.
“Our responsibility is both pastoral and practical,” Deacon McCormack added. “We will walk with our families and employees through this process, while continuing to strengthen Catholic education throughout Brooklyn and Queens.”