Father Timothy Nolan, pastor of St. Peter the Apostle parish in New Castle, announced June 26 that the parish school will not reopen this year due to dwindling enrollment.
Father Nolan and school principal Carlo Testa had morning meetings at the school with faculty and staff. Shortly after that meeting, an email was sent to school families informing them of the decision.
“After 118 years in New Castle, it is with great sorrow and with careful consideration, Saint Peter the Apostle School will not reopen this coming fall due to a substantial and unexpected decrease in enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year,” Father Nolan said in the message to families.
“With such a diminished student body it would be impossible to continue to provide the excellent quality education that is always expected from our Catholic schools, nor properly compensate our hardworking faculty and staff,” he said. “Thank you to all who have supported our school over these years, and please keep our parish in your prayers during this difficult transition.”
Parents and guardians are invited to either of two meetings at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 27, or Tuesday, July 2, in Crowley Hall. Father Nolan and Testa will be present along with Lou De Angelo, diocesan schools superintendent. Associate school superintendent Carol Ripken will join the July 2 meeting.
The school has a long history in historic New Castle.
“On Aug. 16, 1906, the Sisters of St. Francis arrived in New Castle to open an elementary school,” according to the school’s website. “Several weeks later on the first Tuesday of September, 1906, St. Peter School welcomed its first students into a brick building across the street from the current rectory. Enrollment that year was 157 students. This included all the children of the parish except two.”
The school serves kids from pre-school through eighth grade.
