Leadership within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia envisioned a continued comprehensive education for secondary students.
The first free Catholic high school in the United States was the "Roman Catholic High School of Philadelphia", founded for the education of boys in 1890. (It is often referred to as "Roman Catholic", occasionally as "Catholic High", and most commonly as "Roman".) The "Catholic Girls High School" was founded in 1912. Mary McMichan, one of the school's founders, requested in her last will that the school be renamed in honor of her brother. The school became "John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls High School" after her death. John W. Hallahan was shut down by the Archdiocese at the conclusion of the 2020–2021 school year due to finances. Roman Catholic is still in existence.
Between 1916 and 1927 West Catholic Boys and Girls and Northeast Catholic were opened. Despite the economic hardships of the 1930s and 1940s, seven more diocesan high schools were founded. During a 22-year growth period from 1945 to 1967, fifteen high schools were opened.
West Catholic Preparatory High School, established 1916, erected 1926. (West Catholic High School for Boys merged into West Philadelphia Catholic Girls'High School building in 1989.)
Bonner & Prendergast Catholic High School, merged 2012 (established as Monsignor Bonner High School for boys in 1953 & Archbishop Prendergast High School for Girls in 1956 – both schools were on the same campus)
Pope John Paul II High School, established 2010 (replaced Kennedy-Kenrick HS and St. Pius X HS and was the first Philadelphia suburban newly constructed high school since 1967)[1]
Though not funded or operated by the archdiocese, the following independent schools operate "with the blessing and spiritual support of the archdiocese:"
St. Maximilian Kolbe School (Westtown Township, near West Chester)[4][12]
St. Norbert School (Easttown Township,[13] outside of the Paoli CDP,[14] but with a Paoli mailing address) – It was established in 1956, with the school building built the following year.[15]
Cardinal John Foley Regional Catholic School (Havertown)
It was established in 2012 by the merger of Annunciation BVM and St. Denis.[2] Circa 2012 the enrollment count was 515, with each class having around 24-25 students. The Foley merger meant that the school could get additional staff such as a science teacher and a full-time Spanish teacher. It is named after John Patrick Foley.[16]
Established in 2012 by the merger of Our Lady of Fatima and Our Lady of Perpetual Help,[2] it was named after the former Our Lady of the Angels Church in West Philadelphia.[19] In 2012 it had about 503 students, with 215 originating from Our Lady of Fatima.[20] In 2018, as a fire had affected the classroom area, the students were temporarily housed at Cardinal O'Hara. The Ridley School District provided transportation.[21] By 2019 there were 315 students, and the school was being rebuilt.[22]
Established in 2012 by the merger of St. Gabriel and St. Madeline/St. Rose.[2] The name originated from the Former St. James High School in Chester. The St. James High alumni association suggested the name, and the new school asked to use not only the name but also the mascot and colors.[23] When it opened it had 402 students, with around 201 being from St. Gabriel.[20]
Established in 2012 by the merger of Immaculate Conception and St. Luke the Evangelist,[2] it originally operated as a regional school and was named St. Joseph the Protector Regional Catholic School, in honor of the group that provided teachers to the predecessor schools, Sisters of Saint Joseph of Chestnut Hill. In July 2018 the school changed its name and came under the direct control of Saint Luke parish; the decision to do so was made the previous year.[26]
Established in 2012 by the merger of Pope John Paul II Regional School and St. Timothy.[2] Pope John Paul II Regional School was created by merging St. John Cantius School – Bridesburg, All Saints School – Bridesburg, and St. Bartholomew School – Wissonoming.[citation needed]
Holy Redeemer Chinese Catholic Church and School (traditional Chinese: 費城華人天主教教堂暨培德學校; simplified Chinese: 费城华人天主教教堂暨培德学校; pinyin: Fèichéng Huárén Tiānzhǔjiào Jiàotáng jì péi dé Xuéxiào) was constructed in 1941. David J. Wallace of The New York Times said that it was "a leading Chinatown institution."[30] Historically many Chinatown residents enrolled their children in the school, and the community used the church and school complex as a meeting place and a community center.[31] In the 1990s the school lost much of its schoolyard due to expansion of the Vine Street Expressway.[30] In 2005 it was the only school in Chinatown.[32]
It was established in September 2008 by the merger of Nativity B.V.M, Our Lady Help of Christians, and St. Adalbert schools.[33] Each of the predecessor schools had enrollments of about 200. The 2008 economic downturn prompted the schools to merge.[34] There were 545 students in the merged school in 2008, but the continued economic malaise resulted in declining enrollments. By 2016 enrollment was at about 400 and recovering.[35]
Our Mother of Consolation School (Chestnut Hill) *Destroyed by fire on March 21, 2023
The building has a capacity of 230. In 2012 it had 185 students.[36]
Our Lady of Hope Regional Catholic School
Established in 2012 by the merger of Epiphany of Our Lord, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, and Sacred Heart of Jesus.[2]
Resurrection Regional Catholic School (Rhawnhurst)
Established in 2012 by the merger of Our Lady of Ransom and Resurrection of Our Lord.[2]
In 2012 the archdiocese considered closing the school, but kept it open after the school community appealed.[37]
St. Jerome School
St. Katherine of Siena School
St. Laurentius School of Holy Name of Jesus Parish (in Fishtown)
Circa 2007 the Holy Name Catholic School and St. Anne's Catholic School closed, with students accepted at St. Laurentius.[39] In 2012 the archdiocese considered closing the school, but kept it open after the school community appealed.[37]
It was established in 1911 In 2012 it had 145 students. That year archdiocese officials stated it would be merged into Our Mother of Consolation, but school officials opposed the plan, partly as they believed the destination school would not be able to accommodate the combined student body.[36]
Our Mother of Sorrows/St. Ignatius of Loyola
Formed from a merger of Our Mother of Sorrows and St. Ignatius of Loyola.[44]
It opened in September 1929. The initial enrollment was 375.[45] In December 2005 the archdiocese proposed closing it, but it remained open after community members, inspired by a child with cystic fibrosis who asked for the Make a Wish foundation to save his school, donated $200,000 to keep it open. This was dubbed the "Miracle at St. Cyril." In 2012 the archdiocese proposed closing it again,[46] intending to merge it into St. Andrew School of Upper Darby. However the archdiocese reversed that decision.[47] Instead it became the Independence Mission Schools, not operated by the archdiocese.[45] In 2012 there were 207 students.[48]
St. Frances Cabrini Regional Catholic School
Established in 2012 by the merger of Our Lady of Blessed Sacrement and St. Donato.[2]
The building has a capacity of 250 pupils. In 2009 the student body numbered 181 but this declined significantly in the following two years. In 2012 the archdiocese proposed closing the school, but the community appealed. Sulaiman Abdur-Rahman of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that the school in 2014 "may have turned the corner."[52]
From 1971 until 2011 the archdiocese closed 18 schools.[53] Additional campuses closed in the 2012 Archdiocese of Philadelphia school closings; initially the archdiocese was to close 48 schools that year, including eight in Delaware County.[54] Some of the schools remained open after appeals were made.[55]
In 1963 the archdiocese had 48 Catholic K-8/elementary schools in Delaware County with a total of 39,695 students, which was the highest ever enrollment. From 1971 to 2012, 20 of these schools closed, with ten of them closing from 2003 to 2012. By 2012 there were 28 Catholic K-8/elementary schools in Delaware County with a total of 8,291 students.[56]
Alumni bought a building in Eddystone, Pennsylvania to use as a memorabilia center for their former schools. In 2011 the alumni association had 1,550 people who paid dues.[58]
Annunciation B.V.M. School (Havertown) – Merged into Cardinal John Foley Regional School in 2012.[2] The principal stated that an enrollment decline was the reason.[61]
Holy Saviour-St. John Fisher School (Linwood) – It opened in September 1917.[62] Its service area included Lower Chichester Township, Marcus Hook, and Upper Chichester Township.[63] Its first facility had four classrooms. It moved in 1952. Enrollment later exceeded 900 and the later building had an addition, with a total of 16 classrooms.[62] It was renamed to Holy Saviour-St. John Fisher School several years after the establishment of St. John Fisher Church in Boothwyn, Upper Chichester Township in 1971. It began taking students of Immaculate Conception Parish of Marcus Hook in 1974 and students in Trainer after 1993, the latter when Resurrection School in Chester closed.[63] In 1998 one classroom and a computer lab were added to the campus.[62] It merged into Holy Family Regional Catholic School in 2012.[2] At the end of its life it served three parishes: Holy Saviour, St. John Fisher, and Immaculate Conception.[64]
Immaculate Conception School (Marcus Hook) – Closed in 1974, with students moved to Holy Savior School.[62]
Nativity B.V.M. School (Media) – Merged into Mother of Providence Regional Catholic School in 2012.[2] Nativity BVM school opened in 1912, with its last building occupied in 1949.[65] The Nativity BVM school administration chose not to file an appeal against the order to merge.[66] Some parents had lobbied for the continued operation of the school. The archdiocese had originally planned to make Nativity BVM the regional campus, but changed when St. John Chrystosom had appealed against that decision.[67] After the closure, Media Elementary School occupied the campus while renovations of the permanent Media Elementary occurred.[68]
Our Lady of Charity School (Brookhaven) – Closed in 2011 due to a decrease in the number of students.[69] In the 2010–2011 school year it had 176 students. It had 89 would-be students for the 2011–2012 school year that did not arrive.[70] The Delco Times stated that had the school remained open, it would have had to reduce enrichment services. At least one grade level would have had an enrollment under five.[71] The average class size would have been nine.[70]
Our Lady of Fatima School (Secane and Ridley Township) – Merged into Our Lady of Angels Regional School in 2012.[2] The building had a capacity of 550. In its final year, the building was 48% utilization.[19]
Our Lady of Perpetual Help School (Ridley Township, near Morton) – Merged into Our Lady of Angels Regional School in 2012.[2] The building had a capacity of 415. In its final year, the building was 66% utilized.[19]
Resurrection of Our Lord School (Chester) – Closed in 1993.[62] Students in Trainer, previously assigned to Resurrection of Our Lord, were moved to Holy Saviour-St. John Fisher.[63]
St. Charles Borromeo School (Upper Darby) – Closed in 2007[72]
The school property was later leased by the Upper Darby School District (UDSD) and is now used as Charles Kelly Elementary School. It opened to allow UDSD more space to teach students.[73]
St. Denis School (Havertown) – Merged into Cardinal John Foley Regional School in 2012.[2] At the time of the merger, the building was 50% utilized.[16]
St. Gabriel School (Norwood) – The school opened in 1960, with another segment of the building opening in 1962.[74] Former St. Gabriel teacher Denise Crane stated in a letter to the editor to the Delco Times that students came from Norwood, Folcroft, Glenolden, and Prospect Park.[75] Donna Kowal, who began teaching at St. James in 1968, recalled that there were over 1,000 students at the time;[76] each grade level had about 200 students, with about four classes with around 50 students each, but that by 2012 the student population figures had sharply declined.[56] The final enrollment was around 164.[76] It merged into St. James Regional Catholic School in 2012.[2]
St. John Chrysostom School (Wallingford) – Merged into Mother of Providence Regional Catholic School in 2012.[2] Originally Nativity BVM in Media was to be the location of the merged school, but St. John Chrystosom appealed and the archdiocese changed its decision.[77]
St. Joseph School (Aston) – St. Joseph opened in 1951 with the church basement being the first school location. The dedicated school building opened with a single floor in 1955 and a second floor added in 1959; the first floor had eight classrooms. The building later received two additional classrooms and a 1987 addition.[78] It was merged into Holy Family Regional Catholic School in 2012.[2]
St. Joseph School (Collingdale) – Closed in 2010. There were 140 prospective children for the 2010–2011 school year that did not happen when the archdiocese wanted 200. Schools taking former St. Joseph's children were Our Lady of Fatima in Secane, St. Eugene in Primos, and St. Gabriel in Norwood.[79]
St. Kevin School (Springfield) – The archdiocese closed it in 2011 due to declining enrollment despite advocacy from community members to keep it open. It had 158 students in spring 2011, with parents stating that the number scheduled to attend in the fall of that year was over 130 while the archdiocese stated that number was 93.[80] 150 was the archdiocese's target enrollment.[81] It was one of three Catholic schools in Delaware County to close at that time.[82]
St. Madeline-St. Rose School (Ridley Park) – Merged into St. James Regional Catholic School in 2012.[2] It had opened circa 1924.[83]
St. Philomena School (Lansdowne) – Closed in 2011 due to a decrease in the number of students.[69] In the 2010–2011 school year it had 141 students.[70] It had 88 would-be students for the 2011–2012 school year that did not arrive. The Delco Times stated that had the school remained open, it would have had to reduce enrichment services.[71] There would have been four students in the second grade, and three other classes each would have had fewer than 10 students.[70]
Montgomery County
Conshohocken Catholic School (Conshohocken) – Had "primary" and "elementary" divisions, closed in 2012.[2]
Epiphany of Our Lord School (Plymouth Meeting) – Consolidated into Holy Rosary Regional School in 2012.[2]
Holy Trinity Elementary School (lower school in Swedesburg, upper school in Bridgeport[84]) – It served as the parish school for Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Saint Augustine, and Sacred Heart churches.[85] The first two churches are in Bridgeport and previously had a joint St. Augustine-Our Lady of Mount Carmel School.[86][87] Sacred Heart is a Polish church in Swedesburg.[88]
102 children were scheduled to attend in September 2005. Instead it closed in June 2005.[85]
Immaculate Conception School (Jenkintown) – Consolidated into St. Joseph the Protector Regional Catholic School in 2012.[2]
Mother of Divine Providence School (King of Prussia) – Consolidated into Mother Teresa Regional Catholic School in 2012.[2]
Our Lady Help of Christians School (Abington) – Consolidated into Queen of Angels Regional Catholic School in 2012.[2]
Our Lady of Victory School (East Norriton Township) – Consolidated into Holy Rosary Regional School in 2012.[2]
Sacred Heart School (Royersford) – Consolidated into Holy Cross Regional Catholic School in 2012.[2]
St. Alphonsus School (Maple Glen) – Consolidated into Our Lady of Mercy Regional Catholic School in 2012.[2]
St. Anthony-St. Joseph School (Ambler) – Consolidated into Our Lady of Mercy Regional Catholic School in 2012.[2]
St. Catherine of Siena School (Horsham) – Consolidated into Our Lady of Mercy Regional Catholic School in 2012.[2]
St. David School (Willow Grove) – Consolidated into Queen of Angels Regional Catholic School in 2012.[2]
St. Eleanor School (Collegeville) – Consolidated into Holy Cross Regional Catholic School in 2012.[2]
St. Luke the Evangelist School (Glenside) – Consolidated into St. Joseph the Protector Regional Catholic School in 2012.[2]
St. Maria Goretti School (Hatfield) – Closed in 2012.[2]
On May 19, 2004 All Saints had 71 students, even though in March 2004 the archdiocese had a projected enrollment for the 2004–2005 school year at 157 students. Due to the low enrollment at All Saints the archdiocese in 2004 temporarily moved All Saints students to Saint John Cantius School, also in Bridesburg.[91] In 2005 the archdiocese decided to establish a regional school as a combination of All Saints and Saint John Cantius.[92]
Holy Child Catholic School (Manayunk) – Closed in 2012.[2]
Holy Child was formed in 2005 by the merger of the Holy Family, St. Lucy, and St. Mary of the Assumption schools. Justin Rigali, the cardinal of the archdiocese, approved the merger plan in January of that year.[93] The following year, St. Jospahat and St. John the Baptist schools also merged.[94] From 2005 to 2012 the enrollment decreased by over 50%.[95] In the 2011–2012 school year the school had 213 students.[96] In 2012 there were plans to merge Holy Child and Saint Bridget into a St. Blaise Regional School at the Holy Child site,[97] but by June 2012 the enrollment for the prospective school was 155, below the 250 the archdiocese required for the school to open.[98]
As of May 3, 2005, 145 children already attending were scheduled to attend for the 2005–2006 school year. Instead the archdiocese decided to close the school effective June 2005.[85] Students were redirected to Pope John Paul II Regional School, St. Matthew School, and St. Timothy School.[102]
St. Bridget School (East Falls) – Closed in 2012.[2]
As time passed, the tuition increased, and class sizes decreased from around 40 to around 20.[103] From 2005 to 2012 the enrollment increased by 16%.[95] In the 2011–2012 school year the school had 198 students.[96] The Saint Bridget community argued against the proposal to merge the school and Holy Child at the Holy Child site.[97] They filed appeals with the archdiocese, who rejected them.[94] Saint Bridget School permanently closed in 2012.[98] The creation of St. Blaise never occurred.[98]
St. Helena School – Merged into St. Helena – Incarnation Regional Catholic School in 2012.[2]
In 2006 the budget was planned for an enrollment of 225 but the enrollment was only 208 in the beginning of the start of the school year in 2005, and by February 2006 it was down to 205. That year the archdiocese announced the school was closing.[93] In 2006 it merged into Holy Child.[94]
St. John Cantius School (Bridesburg)
On May 19, 2004 All Saints had 145 students, matching the projected enrollment for the 2004–2005 school year. Due to the low enrollment at All Saints the archdiocese in 2004 temporarily moved students at All Saints School, also at Bridesburg, to Saint John Cantius.[91] In 2005 the archdiocese decided to make a regional school combining All Saints and Saint John Cantius.[92]
St. Jospahat School
Circa January 2005 the leadership initially asked the archdiocese to allow their school to stay open despite difficulties, but by March reversed course due to insufficient enrollment.[93] In 2006 it merged into Holy Child.[94] The majority of students remaining went to Holy Child.[93]
Annunciation B.V.M. School – Merged into St. Anthony of Padua in 2012.[2]
Epiphany of Our Lord School – Merged into Our Lady of Hope School in 2012.[2]
In 2012 the archdiocese considered merging the school into the Stella Maris site, but instead decided to merge Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Sacred Heart of Jesus into Epiphany.[37]
Holy Spirit School – Merged into St. Pio Regional Catholic School in 2012.[2]
In 2012 the archdiocese considered merging the school into the Stella Maris site, but instead made it into a regional school with St. Richard.[37]
In 1999 it had 209 students, with the percentages of white, black, and Asian students being about 50, 42, and 8. It closed in 1999; It and St. Aloysius School consolidated with St. Gabriel School to form Our Lady of the Angels School (at St. Gabriel).[89] In 2012 the former King of Peace building began to be uses for Alcorn's middle school classes.[105]
It was one of the designated schools of St. Agatha – St. James Church.[107]
Sacred Heart of Jesus School – Merged into Our Lady of Hope School in 2012.[2]
In 2012 the archdiocese considered merging the school into the Stella Maris site, but instead decided to merge it into Epiphany of Our Lord.[37]
Saint Anne School – It had about 1,000 students in the 1970s.[108] It was closed in June 2011,[109] due to falling enrollment. NHS Human Services School at St. Annes, which caters to children with autism, opened in its place in 2015.[108]
In 1976 the school had about 546 students, while in 1999 it was down to 273. In 1999 the archdiocese considered eventually merging the school with St. Thomas Aquinas School.[89]
St. Cyprian School – In 2011 the archdiocese announced the closure of St. Cyprian Catholic School, as its student numbers had declined.[111]
Circa 1975, it had 1,064 students. In 1999, it had 222 students. It closed in 1999.[89]
St. Gabriel School – Greys Ferry
It became Our Lady of the Angels School in 1999 after a consolidation with two other schools.[89] It, as St. Gabriel, became an Independence Mission School in 2012 (an action which at the time prevented its closure), and then closed completely in 2021. St. Thomas Aquinas School was to take the majority of St. Gabriel students.[112]
In the 1960s, it had 800 students. In 1999, it had 117 students. It closed in 1999.[89]
St. Richard School (South Philadelphia) – Merged into St. Pio Regional Catholic School in 2012.[2]
In 2012 the archdiocese considered merging the school into the Stella Maris site, but kept the campus open after the school community appealed;[37] it became a regional school with Holy Spirit.
^"Home". Saints Philip and James School. Retrieved 2020-05-03. 721 E. Lincoln Highway Exton, PA 19341 - Compare the address to maps of the township and the Exton CDP for confirmation.
^"School". SS. Peter and Paul Parish. Retrieved 2020-04-23. Saints Peter & Paul School 1327 Boot Road West Chester, PA 19380 - Compare with the township maps.
^"Home". SS. Simon and Jude School. Retrieved 2020-04-23. Saints Simon and Jude School 6 Cavanaugh Court West Chester, PA 19382 - Compare with the township map
^"Home". St. Elizabeth School. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
^"Home". St. Maximilian Kolbe School. Retrieved 2020-04-23. School Address St. Maximilian Kolbe School 300 Daly Drive West Chester, PA 19382 - Compare with the township map
^"Home". Our Lady of the Angels School. Retrieved 2020-05-03. Address 2130 Franklin Avenue Morton, PA 19070 - As stated in theDelco Times the school has a Morton address but is actually in Ridley Township.
^ ab"Zoning Map". West Norriton Township. Retrieved 2020-05-02. - Church and school locations for St. Teresa of Avila and Visitation BVM indicated on the map
^"Home". West Norriton Township, Pennsylvania: Visitation BVM School. Retrieved 2020-05-03. Visitation BVM School – 190 N. Trooper Road, Trooper, PA 19403 - The archdiocese states the address as: "190 North Trooper Rd.
Norristown PA, 19403" – The school is both outside of the Trooper CDP limits and outside of the Norristown city limits.
^"Home". The Regina Academies. Retrieved 2020-04-23. The Regina Academies are independent Catholic schools. As such we receive no subsidy from any parish or support from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
^"Our Schools". Regina Academies. 9 January 2020. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
^"About Us". St. Gabriel Parish School. Archived from the original on 2009-04-03. Retrieved 2020-05-03. - Identified as an official website by the archdiocese here