The Archdiocese of Newark announced Thursday that it plans to close 10 Catholic schools as part of a consolidation effort.

Nine elementary schools and a high school will close. Those schools include:
• Academy of St. Therese of Lisieux, Cresskill
• St. Anne School, Fair Lawn
• Trinity Academy, Caldwell
• Good Shepherd Academy, Irvington
• Our Lady Help of Christians School, East Orange
• St. James the Apostle School, Springfield
• The Academy of Our Lady of Peace, New Providence
• Holy Spirit School, Union
• St. Genevieve School, Elizabeth

“We recognize that this is an incredibly sad time for our school communities, especially during this pandemic crisis,” said Barbara Dolan, Acting Superintendent of Schools for the Archdiocese of Newark in a statement. “Every effort will be made to find a Catholic school for those families interested in continuing to provide a Catholic education for their children in the next academic year.”

The schools will remain active via online learning through the end of the school year.

The archdiocese says that significant decreases in student enrollment played a large factor in the decision.