Braintree Catholic School Closing Permanently

BRAINTREE, MA — The Archdiocese of Boston announced the permanent closure of St. Francis of Assisi, a Catholic School in Braintree.

Families were notified Tuesday of the closure in a letter from Father Paul Clifford who cited the economic devastation from the coronavirus as the reason for the school's shuttering. Clifford said the pandemic affected enrollment, which has already seen a steady decline over the last few years. He did not provide enrollment numbers in the letter.

"It is my sad duty to inform you that St. Francis of Assisi School in Braintree will be closing its doors at the end of this academic year," Clifford's letter read. "The realities presented by COVID-19 have had a disastrous impact on the school’s financial situation and make it impossible for us to provide the safe, excellent, and value-based education you expect and deserve from our school going forward."

But a group of parents expressed frustration over the decision. They argued they should have been made aware the school was having problems with enrollment before the pandemic, so they could have tried to address the issue. More than 1,100 people have signed a petition to save the school.

"The letter from the school states that declining enrollment is the reason for the abrupt decision," the group wrote in an online petition. "Parents were never made aware that the decline was significant enough to even think about closing — never mind pulling the rug out from under families right at the end of the school year in the middle of a pandemic.

"The actions or rather in-actions taken by the Catholic Schools Office, Superintendent, and the administration at SFA, appear to demonstrate a clear disregard for our community, an ignorance of the needs of our children, and a neglect of the responsibilities entrusted to you."

The petition also asked the Archdiocese of Boston to consider opening for the 2020-2021 school year so families can work to support the future of St. Francis of Assisi.

"Please do not end this year like this and make an already incredibly tough time infinitely harder for your students," the petition read.

St. Francis of Assisi School opened in 1959 and educates students from preschool to grade 8. It was one of two Catholic schools closed on the South Shore amid the coronavirus pandemic. St. Jerome School in Weymouth was also permanently closed.