Hoboken's 137-year-old Catholic all-girls' school on Washington Street, Academy of the Sacred Heart, will close at the end of the school year. Starting in September, the girls will be able to attend a new all-girls' school that will combine ASH with Jersey City's Academy of St. Aloysius (founded in 1865), called Caritas Academy.

The move was announced by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth, who reorganized their ministry in secondary education in Hudson County.

Caritas Academy will open at the present site of Saint Aloysius on Kennedy Boulevard.

According to Donna Sartor, director of communications for the Sisters of Charity, this action is prompted by decreased enrollment, limited financial resources, and in Hoboken, limited facilities.

The student enrollment at the Academy of the Sacred Heart is 111, and at the Academy of Saint Aloysius, the enrollment is 166. But the potential student capacity at the new Caritas Academy is more than 400 students, Sartor said.

Students at both Catholic schools will be able to transfer directly into the Caritas Academy. She also said that all current employees are encouraged to apply at the new school.

"This is a new and exciting chapter for the Sisters of Charity," Sartor said. "We believe [Caritas Academy] will address the emerging educational needs of young women living in today's rapidly evolving world."

Catholic school challenges

In many ways, there has been a growing crisis in the past two decades for Catholic elementary and high schools. In 2005, Archdiocese of New York closed six Roman Catholic elementary schools, and the Brooklyn diocese shut the doors at 22 schools. Combined, it was the biggest round of Catholic school closings in New York City's history.

While the past 10 years have seen substantial increases in enrollment in suburban schools, where expansion of existing schools and new school construction is the norm, the area's urban Catholic schools have maintained nearly two decades of declining enrollment.

Since 2000, for every new Catholic school that opens, two close, according to the National Catholic Education Association.

With Catholic schools relying on tuition to cover major costs like teacher salaries, declining enrollment can have disastrous effects.

Better facilities needed

Sister Jacqueline Carey of the Academy of the Sacred Heart said Tuesday that the school has long been hindered by the lack of space and amenities that are now a requirement at a modern school.

"As anyone familiar with the school is well aware, our current facilities are very limited," Carey said. "We have an aging 137-year-old building that doesn't have the science labs, a gym, or an auditorium. These are the types of things that we must have to be competitive today."

The new Caritas Academy will include a library and media center, gym, separate auditorium, computer labs, wireless computer network, newly renovated science labs, a chapel, a cafeteria with lunch programs, and numerous classrooms and offices.

Sartor added that a high school college preparatory program will be offered for the current and prospective students.

Despite admitting most who apply, Catholic high schools graduate 95 percent of their students, compared with just over 66 percent in public schools. And government surveys consistently show that Catholic school students do better in mathematics, science, reading, and social studies than their public school peers.

Through the transition

Sister Maureen Shaughnessy, general superior of the Sisters of Charity, said that while the transition will be fast, they are working hard to make sure that it will be as smooth as possible.

"We remain sensitive to the concerns that the students, parents, and staff will experience and plan to address such concerns as transportation, access, and tuition issues in the near future," Shaughnessy said. "Parent meetings have been scheduled and communications will be ongoing during this transition period."

Shaughnessy added that she is also sensitive to the feelings of alumni and community supporters who will be sad to see both of these noble institutions close their doors.

"The Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth acknowledge with pride and deep gratitude the wonderful work done by these academies," she said. "Their rich legacy will live on and influence this new school."

School officials said that they do not yet know what they will do with the potentially valuable ASH property in Hoboken.