Bishop McDevitt High School in Wyncote will close its doors for good at the end of the 2020-21 school year, writes Kristen A. Graham for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The decision to close the Catholic school was made after a thorough study examined the enrollment, demographic trends, finances, and other relevant elements, according to officials. Currently, the school is at 40 percent capacity, with enrolment under 360.

John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls’ High School in Center City is also closing.

“Without painful, but necessary action at this juncture, declining enrollment would have caused tuition increases to accelerate rapidly in order to cover school operating expenses and prohibited these schools from offering an affordable educational experience without incurring massive deficits,” said the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in a statement.

McDevitt students are free to transfer to other archdiocesan high schools, while efforts will be made to find jobs for the staff at other schools as well.

The news stunned the school’s alumni.

“McDevitt had a lot of really strong extracurricular activities for a lot of years, things that drew people in,” said Ginger McHugh, a 1991 graduate of McDevitt.

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