Declining enrollment led to unsustainable parish subsidy
St. Simon the Apostle School in south St. Louis County will close at the end of the 2024-25 school year, the archdiocese announced March 27.
The school’s enrollment this year is 123 students in grades K-8. The projected enrollment for the 2025-26 school year is 70 students. One grade level has only three enrolled students and another has a single student. There are fewer than 30 students registered for next year in first through fifth grades.
The Simon Says Early Childhood Center, a year-round program for children ages six weeks through five years old, plans to remain open.
“While providing Catholic Education in St. Louis County for 65 years, St. Simon School has faced ongoing challenges due to declining enrollment,” Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski said in a statement. “This ongoing trend means that continuing to provide quality education at St. Simon School would require financial support that would negatively impact the parish’s finances and impede other crucial ministries.”
After consulting with archdiocesan leaders to explore possible cost-reducing options, the archdiocese determined that such changes would take away key services and resources from students and teachers and still require a growing and unsustainable parish subsidy.
The archdiocese said it will provide placement assistance to St. Simon School faculty and staff, as well as enrollment assistance to families who wish to place students into other Catholic elementary schools. More information about Catholic education and scholarship opportunities can be found at archstlcatholicschools.org.
St. Simon School was founded in 1960 in response to a need for Catholic education for a growing population in the township of Green Park. Under the leadership of Cardinal Joseph E. Ritter, land on Mueller Road in south St. Louis County was purchased from August Guehring in 1959 and became the site of St. Simon the Apostle Parish and School.
“The parishioners of St. Simon can indeed be proud of the long history of educating children in the faith,” Archbishop Rozanski said. “I am profoundly grateful to them, to all the administrators, teachers and staff who share their gifts to help raise children in our Catholic faith, and to the parents who make a commitment to Catholic education. Please join me in keeping all affected by these changes in our prayers.”
