(Image source from: Chicago Archdiocese will shut 3 catholic schools})

The Archdiocese of Chicago will close three Catholic schools by  the end of the year, church officials announced on Tuesday.

All three schools- St. Agatha Catholic Academy, an early childhood program in Chicago's Lawndale neighborhood, Seton Academy, a high school in South Holland and St. Peter, an elementary school in northwest suburban Antioch, will be closed by the end of the year. The schools will shut down due to the declining enrollment and fiscal difficulties as well.

The St. Agatha school, which transitioned from a prekindergarten to eighth grade, registered only 12 new enrollments, last year.

Rev. Larry Dowling, pastor of St. Agatha, said that,  "It was pretty much expected, we're at a point (where) the community is inundated with pre-K programs. To me it just gives us an opportunity to reconstitute how we're going to use the building for community outreach. It does present some possibilities for a different sort of outreach for families and youth."

According to the archdiocese, both Academy leadership and the school board were aware about the risk of shutting down,  since last two years. Even though, they made efforts to increase enrollments and finances, the Scholl will be closed by June.

The St. Peter School also suffered a low number of enrollment and shortage of finance. Both difficulties are leading pastor, the Rev. Michael McMahon, to close the school.

Diane Baker, whose son is in seventh grade at St. Peter, said that, "School board officials said last August, that 49 students had dropped out and we (parents and the community) needed to make up the difference in the empty seats because of the teacher’s contract."

- Nandini