Low enrollment and reduced financial support have caused the Diocese of Little Rock’s newest school to close.
Located in the diocese’s largest parish, St. Raphael School in Springdale opened in 2007 with a kindergarten through third grade. Other grades were added until the school taught children through seventh grade.
The school will close May 24, but the parish will still continue to educate 3- and 4- year-old children in its preschool. Beginning in the summer 2014 the church will also operate a summer care program for elementary students.
Karen LaMendola, its only principal, was hired in 2006 to open the school but was active in the school planning committee beginning in 2005. The parish got its start with children’s education in 2004 by offering a preschool for 3 and 4 years olds.
At that time, the school decided to locate the school in its educational wing and use the parish’s multipurpose room for its cafeteria and gymnasium. A separate school building was never constructed.
When the school opened its doors it had 74 students enrolled, but could have served up to 125 students. From 2008 to 2011 enrollment grew to 130 students as more grades were added. Enrollment dropped 16 percent from 2011 to 2012.
Today the school has 73 students in kindergarten to seventh grades. The preschool enrollment is 36 students.
When the diocese OKed opening the school, it was believed that St. Raphael could become a “feeder” school along with St. Vincent de Paul School in Rogers and St. Joseph School in Fayetteville and serve a possible Catholic high school in the future for the region. Bowen said the diocese is not pursuing opening a regional high school right now.
Fewer students have been able to pay the full tuition and more families could pay little or no tuition, Bowen said. Fifty-eight percent of the 73 students received financial assistance, which is the same percentage of minorities in the school.
“I pinpoint it on what I see with all the schools right now is the lack of scholarships for need-based students,” Bowen said. “I am not seeing it only in that particular school but in a lot of the schools. The principals have told me they have had more applications this year than they have had for scholarships in the past… In particular in Springdale, I think the economy hit them hard. A lot of those families were depending on construction (jobs) so when the recession hit up there they just don’t have the jobs for them.”
Read more on the closing of St. Raphael School in the March 16 issue.
