St. Athanasius School In West View To Close In June

After 100 years, St. Athanasius Catholic School in West View will close at the end of this academic year due to low enrollment.

Congregants were notified of the closure during Sunday Masses. The Rev. Robert Norton recommended closing the school.

School officials said several strategies to increase enrollment, including lowering kindergarten tuition and open houses, did not succeed. One last attempt was made in the past year during the school’s 100th anniversary. Enrollment in CCD classes also had declined, school official said.

The school, which offers kindergarten through eighth grade, plus preschool, began the academic year with just 79 students.

In 2003-2004, 150 students were enrolled, with a per pupil cost of $3,681. The school projected fewer than 80 students in 2010-2011 with a per pupil cost of more than $7,600 and a school deficit of $125,000.

The school would have had to increase tuition to make up the deficit, and that would have been prohibitive for most families, the school said.

Parish Pastoral and Finance Councils considered a number of options, including multi-aged classes, increased fundraising goals and tuition increases, before finally recommending school closure in June 2010.

The school will help families to register at other Catholic schools.

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