With the 2023-24 school year, St. Mary Catholic School in Orange is transitioning to a Pre-K3 to fifth grade campus. Declining enrollment for grades 6th through 8th led to this decision, according to information from the Diocese.
School staff, board of directors and school parents were notified of the change by letter on July 14.
“This was not an easy decision, but one that needed to be made for the vitality of the school,” wrote Dr. Felicia Nichols, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Beaumont, in a letter to the St. Mary Catholic School community. “This is not an end, but a new beginning for the Orange community with renewed energy and vibrancy.”
Nichols wrote that she and the new principal, Sister Mary Benedicta Maier, RSM, are preparing for a successful school year for the students and will be working to grow the enrollment.
Over the next two years, the superintendent and administration will reportedly use specific benchmarks to assess the status of reinstituting the middle school program in the coming years.
St. Mary School opened in October 1924 and has served the Orange community for nearly 100 years, educating countless students.