DIOCESE: Our Lady of the Valley Catholic school to shut its doors at the end of the school year
Our Lady of the Valley parochial school will be closing at the end of the 2017-2018 academic school year, announced the Most Reverend Mark J. Seitz, D.D. Bishop, from the Catholic Diocese of El Paso Friday evening.
“It is a very, very difficult decision,” said the Bishop.
The school is located at 8600 Winchester.
Bishop Seitz said the neighborhood’s changing demographics, financial realities and dropping enrollment led the Diocese to make the call.
In 2012, the Bishop said there were 275 students enrolled in the Lower Valley school. Today, the number dropped to 102 students.
Bishop Seitz said, “turning things around for the school at this point was going to prove too difficult a task.”
He announced the continuance of the school is no longer a viable option. The school has a reported debt of $400,000. The diocese will help with a transition plan including other options within the catholic school system.
This is the second Catholic school to close in El Paso within a year. Our Lady of Assumption Catholic School will closed its doors at the end of the 2016-2017 academic school year.
At the time, the Diocese said for the past several years, Our Lady of Assumption Catholic School had faced significant financial challenges, despite the commendable efforts of many people the school’s financial stability.
