FALL RIVER – Citing declining enrollment and the Diocese of Fall River no longer having the financial resources to keep it operational, Bishop Connolly High School will permanently close at the end of this academic year, the diocese announced Thursday.
The diocese said that despite its efforts to keep the school operational, Bishop Connolly had continued declining enrollment and had a “substantial financial impact” from both the COVID-19 pandemic and the current economic environment. The drops in enrollment “have proven unsustainable,” the diocese said.
Additionally, the diocese has spent more than $1 million over the last five years to keep the school open, it said. However, those resources have dried up, thus making the decision to close it at the end of the academic year.
Bishop Connolly High School, according to its website, was first established in 1966 by the school’s namesake, then-Bishop James L. Connolly. It was first an all-boys school before becoming a coeducational school in 1980. The school also says it serves students from more than 30 cities and towns across southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
“While we sincerely regret having to close Bishop Connolly, our ultimate goal is to strengthen Catholic education in the Diocese for the future,” Diocese School Superintendent Daniel S. Roy said in a statement. “We are committed to helping families transition to other Diocesan Catholic high schools and to make the process as seamless as possible.”
Diocese Bishop The Rev. Edgar da Cunha said in a statement the diocese is confident that its Catholic school leadership will offer both pastoral support and educational guidance to all families impacted by Bishop Connolly’s pending closure. The diocese will offer parents Zoom meetings with school leadership to address students being admitted to other diocesan high schools, tuition and financial aid, transportation and other questions.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
