‘A loss for our neighborhood’: St. Thomas of Villanova Catholic School in Palatine is closing
Facing declining enrollment and a mounting deficit, St. Thomas of Villanova Catholic School in Palatine will close at the end of the school year.
St. Thomas Pastor Kris Janczak announced the decision in a letter to parents and parishioners Wednesday.
The decision to close the school after more than six decades comes three years after the parish established a strategic plan that aimed to bolster enrollment and provide financial security, Janczak wrote.
“Despite solid fundraising efforts, enrollment declined 17% and the school’s projected deficit has doubled and is now insurmountable,” the letter reads.
Janczak said the parish finance committee recommended closure to Cardinal Blase Cupich, who accepted it. The parish shared the news with teachers and staff Wednesday.
St. Thomas will assist its 145 students in finding another Catholic school, while teachers and staff will receive priority for open positions within the Archdiocese of Chicago, Janczak wrote.
Counselors were available to assist teachers with classroom discussions and provide support to students Thursday.
“We extend our heartfelt thanks to all who have supported STV School as loyal school families, dedicated volunteers and/or faithful donors,” Janczak wrote. “Your generosity of spirit is what has made STV school such a special place since our school doors first opened in 1961.”
Greg Richmond, superintendent of Catholic schools for the archdiocese, in a statement Thursday said St. Thomas leaves behind a legacy of a strong Catholic school community.
“While this chapter is closing, we are filled with gratitude for the years of service this school has provided and the lasting impact it has had on our students, families, and alumni,” he said.
The closure leaves behind disappointed families that will be forced to find new schools.
“I think everyone’s bounced back and forth between sadness and anger that a few people could make this decision for hundreds of people,” said Sean Kopeny, whose three children attend the school.
Kopeny, a Palatine resident and member of the school’s board, said the parish community should have been given opportunity to save the school through fundraising.
“Every other church seems to get a chance to rally the troops,” he said.
But after Wednesday’s announcement, any effort to grow enrollment would be a challenge, he added.
Kopeny said the decision hurts students like his son and his seventh grade classmates, who were looking forward to achieving the coveted status of eighth graders next year.
Sue Kadowaki, who lives across the street from the school, said it played an important role in the lives of her four children, who attended St. Thomas.
“It is a wonderful community, and it’s really a loss for our neighborhood, our parish and our church,” she said Thursday. “It really saddens me, because people need a choice.”
The closure comes as many Catholic schools across the suburbs struggle with declining enrollment and the end of the state’s Invest in Kids Scholarship Tax Credit Program. The program offered tax breaks to donors who helped low-income children attend private schools.
Among the schools that closed at the end of the 2024 school year were St. Bede in Ingleside, St. Zachary in Des Plaines, St. Matthew School in Glendale Heights and St. Odilo in Berwyn.