To bolster the educational vitality and financial stability of Catholic education across northern Colorado, the Archdiocese of Denver announced today the closure of two K-8 schools and the partnership of two high schools.
Wellspring Catholic Academy of St. Bernadette in Lakewood will close, effective Dec. 20, and Guardian Angels Catholic School in Denver will close at the end of the 2024-2025 academic year.
Bishop Machebeuf High School and St. John Paul the Great High School, both in Denver, will partner, consolidating into the St. John Paul the Great campus, effective starting with the 2025-2026 school year.
“Our commitment to the health of Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Denver is grounded in three essential pillars: Catholic identity, educational vitality and financial stability,” Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila, Archbishop of Denver, and Dr. Kemmery Hill, superintendent of Catholic schools, said in a joint letter.
“Many of our schools continue to thrive by exemplifying these pillars, contributing positively to their communities and providing a solid foundation for their students. However, not all areas are experiencing the same vitality. Where this expansion does not exist, difficult decisions become necessary to ensure the overall sustainability of our educational mission.”
The difficult decision to consolidate Catholic schools’ footprint in the Archdiocese of Denver comes amid serious financial challenges in Catholic schools. Over the past decade, tens of millions of dollars have been required from the Archdiocese to cover these schools’ financial deficits. For instance, despite the best efforts of many, Bishop Machebeuf has continued to operate at a significant loss, which, despite the recent sale of assets like their baseball field, could leave as much as a $3.2 million debt at the end of this academic year.
At Archbishop Aquila’s request, the Archdiocesan Finance Council reviewed Bishop Machebeuf’s finances to ensure long-term sustainability. After thorough review and deliberation, the Archdiocese, under the advisement of its Archdiocesan Finance Council and the College of Consultors, determined that the financial support required to maintain operations had become unsustainable.
St. Bernadette Parish’s finance council came to a similar conclusion regarding Wellspring Catholic Academy of St. Bernadette, advising that the parish’s financial support not continue. Additionally, shortfalls have persisted at Guardian Angels school for years, reaching an insurmountable level amid shrinking enrollment.
With support from both parishes’ pastors, it was decided the schools would close. Even still, Wellspring’s lawsuit against the State of Colorado to ensure all families have access to universal pre-k education will continue because of the constitutional issues raised and the additional plaintiffs.
In addition to the financial challenges, severe enrollment challenges have plagued a number of Colorado schools in recent years, and Catholic schools were not immune. Since 2021, 21 Jefferson County and six Denver charter schools have closed. Currently, Denver Public Schools is evaluating more school closures.
A Meitler study commissioned by the Archdiocese and presented in 2021 confirmed the negative enrollment trends across the state due to a decline in the number of Colorado’s school-aged children. For the closing and partnering Catholic schools, enrollment consistently lagged far below capacity.
Considering the financial and enrollment difficulties, the need to consolidate schools to preserve educational vitality and financial stability became evident across the archdiocese. With a mutual commitment to academic excellence, faithful Catholic formation of the whole person and mission renewal, the partnership between Bishop Machebeuf High School and St. John Paul the Great is expected to preserve the legacy, values and traditions of Machebeuf while welcoming the students into St. John Paul the Great’s renovated facility and community.
In this way, the partnership will offer robust academics, competitive athletics programs and improved accessibility for families across metro Denver, with St. John Paul the Great’s south-central location near major thruways.
These changes are anticipated to strengthen enrollment at several nearby Catholic schools experiencing great vitality, some of which are only three to six miles away from the closing K-8 schools. The closures and partnership will allow the Archdiocese to re-invest in Catholic education across northern Colorado, bolster its commitment to the education and formation of the whole person, and continue its service, including to those with modest financial means and serious learning disabilities.
As it seeks to bolster Catholic education in an apostolic age, the Archdiocese has expressed its gratitude for the devoted educators at each school who have so nobly modeled Christ’s love for their students.
“I am deeply grateful for your devoted service to the community,” Archbishop Aquila said in letters to the schools’ faculties and staffs. “Because of your generous fidelity to the Lord Jesus, countless students have encountered him, grown in intellect and faith and learned to serve him and others. These families and our archdiocesan community are immeasurably better off for your efforts to bring about God’s kingdom here on earth.”
The Archdiocese aims to support teachers, students and families through this time of transition with support from the Office of People Support, the Office of Catholic Schools, the Department of Student Support Services and St. Raphael’s Counseling.
“The Archdiocese is committed to assisting you in finding a new role within our Catholic schools and processing what may be a challenging change,” Archbishop Aquila continued in his letters. “We are also dedicated to accompanying your students, especially those with special needs, as they navigate the transition to nearby Catholic schools.”
Archbishop Aquila recommended an ever-deeper reliance on the Father, “who remains close to us even in difficult moments and whose plan is best.
“May his peace, which surpasses all understanding, permeate this time of transition and guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (cf. Phil 4:7),” he concluded. “It is my sincere belief and prayer that the Lord will bring about more fruit in our Catholic schools so that in Jesus Christ all might be rescued and have abundant life, for the glory of the Father.”