Outside Donations Help Five Chicago Catholic Schools Off Closure List

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago has removed five schools from its list of 23 elementary schools slated for closing at the end of the academic year. The schools getting a reprieve have shown they will be financially viable for at least another year, archdiocesan officials say.

“There were significant financial changes that happened, including some major donations,” Susan Burritt, the director of school marketing for the archdiocese, said last week. “They had to prove they had increased their enrollment.”

With 106,700 students, the Chicago Archdiocese runs the second-largest nonpublic school system in the country. Archdiocesan leaders said in March that rising costs, changing demographics, and declining enrollments had spurred the decision to close nearly two dozen schools. ( "Catholic Schools’ Mission to Serve Needy Children Jeopardized by Closings," ...