(Updated 8 am 3/4/10)

The Archdiocese of Baltimore announced today that it would be closing thirteen schools, including Mt. Washington’s Shrine of the Sacred Heart School. Archbishop O’Brien will discuss further details of the plan tomorrow at 11 am at a press conference, according to a press release from the Archdiocese today.  What is known already is that each student currently enrolled in one of the schools that is going to be closed at the end of the year will be offered a place in another catholic school within 5 miles of their current school.  There is no such promise for the teachers and staff in the schools. The Archdiocese attributed the closures to declining enrollment, increasing tuitions, and a bad economy.

According to a letter sent home to parents today, students at Shrine of the Sacred Heart School are being offered placement at St. Ambrose School, which is located at 4506 Park Heights Ave Baltimore 21215.  The letter states that this school is 3.3 miles from Shrine of the Sacred Heart.  Unfortunately, while slightly less expensive, the two schools do not appear to be of equal academic caliber. While standardized test scores do not tell the whole story, they can certainly give a general sense of the quality of the education available at a school. After comparing the test scores at Shrine of the Sacred Heart against those at St. Ambrose, it is clear that parents may be reluctant to send their children to the latter. [As of this morning, the Baltimore Sun is reporting that Shrine of the Sacred Heart students may be offered placement at St. Thomas Aquinas in Hampden, St. Pius X School in Rodgers Forge, John Paul Regional and St. Ambrose School.  The article does not say which grades or students would be offered placement at which school or how the decisions are made.  Perhaps different versions of the letters were sent home to different parents, but the only letter we have seen from a Shrine of the Sacred Heart student only offered placement at St. Ambrose and was a general letter that was not personalized to the parents or student suggesting that it was likely sent to many families.]

In the chart below, we added the scores from The School of The Cathedral of Mary Our Queen as an additional point of reference. Cathedral is only 1.5 miles from Shrine of the Sacred Heart. The test scores were taken from documents available to the public on the Archdiocese’s web site.

5th Grade Stanford 10 Scores

To add insult to injury, the timing of this announcement has made it impossible for students who attend the thirteen schools to apply to private schools for the 2010-2011 school year, as most local private schools have already made offers of admission to fill any open spots. Current Shrine attendees who live in the neighborhood may decide to decline the Archdiocese’s offer to attend St. Ambrose, preferring instead to remain closer to home and attend a school with competitive test scores and with a strong academic reputation. Depending on the numbers, Mt. Washington Elementary may then receive an influx of students next year, adding more children to a school that is already at its capacity.

The Baltimore Sun is now reporting that while the public schools are expected to have room for those students who previously attended the closing Catholic schools, “…some neighborhood schools are at capacity. For instance, Mt. Washington Elementary School, which is near the closing Shrine of the Sacred Heart, has reached its capacity, [schools chief Andrés Alonso] said.”  Additionally, this morning’s Baltimore Sun article addresses the late date of the closures:

Because the closings have been announced relatively late in the school year, some parents will find that the deadline for applying to city charter schools and high schools has passed. Eighth-graders have made their high-school selections and charter schools sign-ups were last month.

This year’s fifth-graders have until April 30 to select a middle school.

In another story this morning, the Baltimore Sun reports that

Shrine of the Sacred Heart, Mount Washington Parish founded 1867. The school was initially located in the church basement and staffed by the Sisters of Mercy from nearby Mount St. Agnes. A new, free-standing school was built in the 1950s. “It was a familial place and represented a wonderful way of life,” said 1971 graduate Jake Boone. “We had a lot of fun and got a lot of education.” Students go to St. Thomas Aquinas in Hampden, St. Pius X School in Rodgers Forge, John Paul Regional and St. Ambrose School.

The full list of closures can be found below:

• Ascension School
• St. Bernardine Catholic School
• St. Clare School
• Father Charles Hall Catholic Elementary & Middle School
• Holy Family School
• St. Katharine School
• Mother Mary Lange Catholic School
• Our Lady of Fatima School
• St. Rose of Lima School
• Sacred Heart of Mary School
• Shrine of the Sacred Heart School
• St. William of York School
• The Cardinal Gibbons School

Related articles:

Shrine School Concludes Final School Year

MWES / Shrine School Steering Committee Formed

Cardin School to Offer Creative Classes for Middle School Students in February & March

UPDATED – Buy Your Tickets Now for Swing into Spring! – Auction for MWES

Exciting Updates at Mt. Washington Elementary School