Diocese of Fall River announces Bishop Connolly High School will cease operations

(FALL RIVER, MA) – The Diocese of Fall River announced today that Bishop Connolly High School will cease operations at the end of the 2022-23 academic year.

According to a statement, despite the Diocese’s best efforts to maintain the operational and financial viability of the school, the continued decline in enrollment and substantial financial impact of the pandemic and current economic environment have proven unsustainable.

Bishop Connolly has experienced a significant decline in enrollment despite recruitment efforts and, as a result, the Diocese has spent over $1 million to sustain the school over the past five years. The Diocese stated that they no longer have the resources to continue to keep Bishop Connolly operational.

“While we sincerely regret having to close Bishop Connolly, our ultimate goal is to strengthen Catholic education in the Diocese for the future,” said Daniel Roy, Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Fall River. “We are committed to helping families transition to other Diocesan Catholic high schools and to make the process as seamless as possible.”

“We continue to experience very challenging times that have put an even greater financial strain on many families,” stated Bishop Edgar da Cunha, S.D.V., of the Diocese of Fall River. “So many people have extraordinary needs amidst this economic uncertainty, and the Diocese needs to leverage its precious resources to an even greater extent. We are confident that our Catholic school leadership will provide both pastoral support and educational guidance to all affected families so that their children can transition and be welcomed into a new Catholic school family.”

Parent Zoom meetings with the school leadership have been scheduled to address admissions to other Diocesan high schools, tuition and financial aid, transportation, and additional family questions.

Today, there are over 5300 students from six weeks old through 12th grade in 19 Fall River Diocese Catholic schools from Attleboro to Cape Cod.