Due to declining enrollment and a significant projected operating deficit, St. Philip the Apostle Catholic School in Camp Springs, Maryland, is closing after the just-completed 2024-25 school year.
As of June 24, only 53 students were enrolled at the school for the upcoming school year, after a decision had been made to suspend the middle school program. This past school year, St. Philip the Apostle Catholic School had 126 students from Pre-K3 to the eighth grade.
Father Ryan Pineda, the pastor of St. Philip the Apostle Parish, made the announcement in June 24 letters to the Catholic school families and the faculty and staff there.
In the letter to St. Philip the Apostle Catholic school families, Father Pineda noted, “As shared in March, our school community has experienced declining enrollment over the past several years. While we have committed to keeping the school open in spite of these declines, enrollment projections for the rest of the school have fallen drastically short, and I must now share the disappointing news that St. Philip the Apostle Catholic School will not open in September 2025.”
The shared decision to close the school made by the pastor with Cardinal Robert W. McElroy, the archbishop of Washington, was made after intensive efforts to increase enrollment and followed consultation with the parish’s finance council and with representatives of the Catholic Schools Office and administrators of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.
St. Philip’s pastor noted that “the low enrollment simply does not allow the school to operate without the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars. This is a debt that I, the parish finance council, and the archdiocese have determined that we cannot afford.”
St. Philip the Apostle Catholic School opened in 1960, three years after the parish was founded, and classes were originally held in the now-closed La Reine High School in Suitland. The present school building was completed in 1962, and over the years, the school added kindergarten and pre-kindergarten classes. During its history, the school was staffed by the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters, the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the Daughters of St. Ann, in addition to the laypeople serving on its faculty and staff.
In his letter to the families at St. Philip the Apostle Catholic School, Father Pineda said, “I understand the weight of this decision and the implications it carries for students, families, staff and alumni. I am truly sorry for the anxiety and sense of loss this will cause our community. Please know of my prayers for your children. I understand this will be difficult news for them to hear about their beloved Catholic school.”
In the letter to the faculty and staff of St. Philip the Apostle School, Father Pineda said, “Thank you for your unwavering work to provide a quality education for our young people centered on our Catholic faith.”
The letters to the school families and to the faculty and staff included answers to questions they might have about the school’s closing.
To support families seeking a new Catholic school for their children, a school fair was planned for June 26 at St. Philip the Apostle Catholic School that included Catholic schools from Prince George’s County and neighboring Catholic schools in Washington, D.C., and Charles County that shared enrollment procedures and application timelines.
Parents were assured that individually awarded archdiocesan tuition assistance would follow their child to any parish archdiocesan school, and any deposits or fees made to St. Philip the Apostle School for the 2025-26 school year would be reimbursed to families.
The front office at St. Philip the Apostle Catholic School will remain open until July 31, 2025 to assist families.
The archdiocese’s Catholic Schools Office and Human Resource Office will be assisting the school’s faculty and staff with information on open positions at Catholic schools in the archdiocese, and also resources regarding unemployment and resume writing and interviewing.
The information sent to families included suggestion for talking to children about the school’s closure, including recommendations to pray as a family, to offer reassurance, to discuss alternative options, to listen to their concerns, and to help provide closure to students by encouraging them to write or draw about what they loved best about St. Philip the Apostle School, or to write a letter to a teacher, reach out to classmates and other families to bring children together, attend Mass at St. Philip the Apostle Church, and visit the school before July 31.
The letters to school families and to the faculty and staff also included “A Prayer of Grief and Hope for the Closure of St. Philip the Apostle School.”
The prayer to God, the heavenly Father, included the words:
“Today we come before You with heavy hearts as we grieve the closing of St. Philip the Apostle School. This sacred place has been a home of faith, learning, laughter and growth for generations – a place where Your presence was felt in every classroom, hallway and heart.”
The prayer thanked God “for the blessings poured out through this school, for the joy of children discovering their gifts, for the dedication of teachers who nurtured both minds and souls, for the families who formed a community bound in Your love.”
Noting that a chapter was now closing, the prayer asked God to guide members of that school community “on new paths of grace.”
The prayer concluded with the words, “Through the intercession of St. Philip the Apostle, may we carry forward the legacy of faith this school has built, and may we find renewed purpose in serving You wherever we are called. Let Your light shine on the memories we hold dear, and may Your Spirit lead us into the future with courage, unity and peace. We pray this in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, the Divine Teacher and our Eternal Hope. Amen.”
