Two local Catholic schools to permanently close

The Diocese of Brooklyn has announced that six Catholic Schools will close permanently on August 31. Among them are Our Lady’s Catholic Academy in South Ozone Park and Our Lady of Grace in Howard Beach. The diocese said the “devastating effects” of COVID-19 on enrollment and finances made it “impossible” for them to reopening this upcoming school year. All six schools already saw a decline in enrollment over the last five years, but the registration totals for this year were “significantly down,” the diocese said. Affected students and families will receive help to transfer to nearby Catholic academies. The Diocese of Brooklyn, through the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Trust, will provide a one-time grant of $500 for each child from a closed school enrolling in a new Catholic academy in Brooklyn or Queens. “This is an incredibly sad day for our Catholic community to have to close these schools, but the devastation caused by the coronavirus pandemic is insurmountable,” said Thomas Chadzutko, Superintendent of Schools. “The difficult decisions come after the intense analysis of the financial picture of each academy.”