NORCO, La. — Sacred Heart of Jesus in Norco is the fourth school closure announced by the Archdiocese of New Orleans since the beginning of the year. All of these school closures come at a pivotal time for Catholic education in the New Orleans area.
Neighbors in the small St. Charles Parish community said it's sad to learn of the school's closure at the end of the academic year.
"I think it's very sad because this is our little town and we need a Catholic school," Gloria Perrilloux, Norco resident, said.
"I went there since I was in kindergarten," Kenneth LeBlanc said. "My mother taught me. She was a fifth grade teacher."
This is the latest in a series of Catholic school closures announced in recent weeks.
The St. Peter Claver school and Holy Rosary schools in New Orleans and Our Lady of Divine Providence school in Metairie are also shutting down.A new school for exceptional learners, will open on the OLPD campus this fall.
Catholic School Superintendent RaeNell Houston said all of the schools closing have struggled with low enrollment and weak finances.
"We're seeing a decline in Catholic School enrollment nationally, averaging anywhere to 2 to 5 percent per year. We've been pretty consistent with following those trends over the last 5 years," Houston said.
Houston cites population decreases, families having fewer children and increased competition from charter schools for the loss in enrollment.
The archdiocese school system is now embarking on new strategic planning to determine what parents want and how to be more competitive in the market.
"If we continue to do the things that we've always done, the way we've always done them, my fear is that we will cease to exist or we will become a system of schools serving the elite," Houston said. "That is not the mission and goal of the Catholic Church."
Back in Norco, school officials say it's hard to measure the impact of Sacred Heart's 60-year ministry in the community.
Kenneth LeBlanc, who attended the school, had an easy answer.
"Faith...at my age at 58," LeBanc said. "It brought Jesus to my life."
The Archdiocese does not expect any other school closures to be announced for the coming academic year.
The staff of the Office of Catholic Schools will be on the Sacred Heart campus to answer questions and help families navigate paperwork. Families with questions should contact the Office of Catholic Schools by calling (504) 866-7916 or emailing superintendent@arch-no.org.