St. Clement School in Medford announced Friday, May 19, that it will close at the end of the school year in June 2017. Currently the school educates students in Pre-K and grades 6-12. The school had educated students in Pre-K through grade 12 through school year 2015-2016.
A combination of factors has contributed to the school needing to close, read a statement from the Archdiocese of Boston, including declining and low enrollment. Enrollment since 2012-13 has declined by 43 percent, from 256 students to 147 students. Efforts to increase student enrollment and retention of students have met with only limited success.
As a result, the school is no longer sustainable.
St. Clement School and The Catholic Schools Office for the Archdiocese of Boston are working to ensure that families that wish to continue the education of their children in a Catholic school will be able to do so. St. Clement will host an informational school fair on May 31, which will be attended by area schools and staffed with school leaders and admissions counselors.
The faculty and staff affected by the closing will be placed on a priority list for openings in other Catholic schools for September 2017 and will be assisted by the Catholic Schools Office in finding placement.
Established in September 1925, the school is under the direction of St. Clement Parish.
For more than 90 years, St. Clement has provided Catholic education to generations of students, many of whom come from Charlestown. A number of students from the Town have chosen St. Clement for sports programs, including hockey, football and basketball. Currently the long-time basketball coach is Charlestown’s Leo Boucher – yet another connection to the closing school.