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St. Margaret Mary School to close permanently ahead of 2017-2018 school year

SE Side school opened in 1956, cites declining enrollment as reason for closure

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SAN ANTONIO – St. Margaret Mary School will permanently close its doors and not reopen for the 2017-2018 school year, citing “a very significant financial deficit for the upcoming year,” the school announced in a statement Monday.

The school had only 53 students registered for the fall semester.

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St. Margaret Mary School, located at 1202 Fair Avenue, was dedicated on Oct. 21, 1956, by Archbishop Robert E. Lucey,and under the direction of the Felician Sisters, opened with an enrollment of 746 students. Enrollment peaked in 1960 with more than 1,000 students.

Over the ensuing decades, declining enrollment, economic uncertainties and changing demographics led to the eventual closure of the school's junior high — encompassing grades six, seven and eight — in the spring of 2017. Students were encouraged to attend St. Gerard Regional Catholic Middle School, on the nearby campus of St. Gerard Catholic High School.

School officials announced low enrollment numbers in the pre-school grades, with no students enrolled in the pre-K 3 program.

A meeting with parents and staff will be held at the school on Wednesday at 7 p.m., to discuss plans moving forward for the students and personnel there, and a school fair to provide more information on Catholic school options for students and parents will be held in the archdiocesan Pastoral Center at 2718 West Woodlawn on Wednesday, July 26, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

In addition, registration fees paid by enrollees will be reimbursed, uniform coupons will be distributed and a Hope for the Future tuition assistance grant for each student currently enrolled at St. Margaret Mary will be offered to help with their transition to a new Catholic school.

There are 39 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of San Antonio, according to officials, with a total enrollment serving more than 12,000 students.

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