San Francisco Catholic school St. Thomas the Apostle closing after 75 years

St. Thomas the Apostle School, in San Francisco, Calif.

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St. Thomas the Apostle School, a Catholic school in San Francisco’s Outer Richmond neighborhood, will close at the end of the academic year, according to a letter signed by the school’s pastor and principal. 

The letter — first reported on by the San Francisco Chronicle — did not cite specific reasons for shutting down the school, which was founded 75 years ago and teaches children in first through eighth grade. “More information will follow in the coming weeks and months regarding our closure,” Rev. Andrew Spyrow wrote in the letter, of which SFGATE obtained a copy. The Chronicle reported that the closure is largely due to a drop in enrollment and financial issues. (The Chronicle and SFGATE are both owned by Hearst but have separate newsrooms.)

St. Thomas the Apostle has offered to help parents of children at the school find other Catholic schools to enroll in. One St. Thomas the Apostle parent, Celina Martin, told SFGATE this is the second Catholic school a child of hers has attended that’s shut down in recent years, and she’s not sure whether to keep her kids in Catholic school or enroll them in public school.

“This is frustrating and upsetting,” Martin said. “… The kids are really sad.”

Martin says she and other parents and teachers are disappointed in the closure because they had reason to believe the school would at least be able to stay open for a few more years. Rev. Spyrow’s letter makes clear that’s no longer the case.

“While closing our school is not the outcome we had hoped for, I ask for you to join me in a commitment to finish this school year joyfully and hopefully,” Spyrow wrote. “Together, we can ensure that our community closes the legacy of STA (St. Thomas the Apostle) with grace.”

Alex Shultz is the local editor for SFGATE. You can reach him at alex.shultz@sfgate.com.