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The Diocese of Pittsburgh announced this afternoon that St. Titus School in Aliquippa, St. Elizabeth Seton Regional School in the West End, Bishop McDowell Regional School in Baldwin and St. Valentine School in Bethel Park will close in June at the end of this school year.

Declining enrollment and dwindling financial support were cited as the reason for the closings.

Two preschool programs will remain in operation as Bishop McDowell Early Childhood Center and Saint Valentine Early Childhood Center, the diocese said.

Significant financial support for St. Titus and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Regional from a major benefactor ends in June after many years, according to a statement issued today by the diocese. Enrollment continues to decline, and it has become impossible for the schools to operate with a balanced budget.

Enrollment at Bishop McDowell Regional School also has declining over the past several years, from 137 in 2003-04 to 65 students in K-8 this year.

At St. Valentine School, enrollment went from 164 students in 2005-06 to 84 this year. Enrollment is expected to continue to decline, which would force the tuition to go from the current $2,800 per student to as much as $5,965.

"Closing any Catholic school with its long tradition of educational excellence in a community is always painful," the Rev. Kris Stubna, diocesan Secretary for Education said in a statement. "We celebrate the tremendous efforts of so many people in keeping these schools viable for so long. But the changing demographics and declining school-age population make it impossible for these schools to continue."

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