2 Philly Catholic High Schools Closing

PHILADELPHIA - Two Roman Catholic high schools in Philadelphia are closing for good.

Students at Cardinal Dougherty High School and Northeast Catholic High School for Boys will go to other schools run by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia after the 2009-2010 school year.

PDFs: Letter To Cardinal Dougherty Parents | Letter To Northeast Catholic Parents

Video: Bishop McFadden On 'Good Day'

The Archdiocese announced the closings Thursday.

"I understand the deep emotions that may be felt by the students, parents, faculty, staffs and proud alumni of both Cardinal Dougherty and Northeast Catholic upon hearing this news," said Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia.

The Archdiocese says declining enrollment, rising costs and the economic downswing are forcing them to make tough decisions, reported Fox 29’s Julie Kim.

Officials say Cardinal Dougherty and Northeast Catholic are way undercapacity. By closing the two schools and filtering students to other Catholic schools, their resources will be better spent.

Dougherty's enrollment has dropped by more than 43 percent over the last 10 years and is projected to drop by another 34 percent over the next three, say officials. The school has 642 students in a building set up for 2,000.

Northeast's enrollment has dropped more than 29 percent in the past decade and is predicted to drop another 24 percent over the next three years. It has 551 students in a building set up for 1,700.

Sending those students to other schools in the Archdiocese can improve the quality of the educational experience for all the students, Auxiliary Bishop Joseph McFadden said in a statement.

"A healthy enrollment opens the doors to stronger faith formation programs, more competitive academics, improved extracurricular activities and an enhanced social environment for all of our students," McFadden said.

"I got a scholarship here too and I was hoping I could spend four years here," Albert Lee, a Northeast Catholic freshman, tells Fox 29.

"My son is a junior," says a Northeast Catholic parent. "He's going to be a senior next year. Where does he go? He has to start over."

"The challenges we are experiencing here in Philadelphia are mirrored by dioceses all over the country," said Richard McCarron, the archdiocese's secretary for Catholic education. "We are faced with rising costs to maintain the overhead of large, older schools that simply are not operating close to their capacities."

Stay with MyFoxPhilly.com and Fox 29 News for more on this developing story.