St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School will be temporarily suspending its seventh- and eighth-grade programs due to low enrollment for the 2010-2011 school year.
With only one student signed up in each of the school’s highest grades, the school felt it could not afford to hire a teacher or provide the proper educational environment for those two students, according to Principal Michael Gerard.
“We’re looking at it as a necessary decision,” he said.
However, Gerard expects the seventh-grade program to be reinstated the following school year with a large sixth-grade class currently registered.
For the 2010-2011 school year, there will be four classes at St. Thomas: kindergarten, first and second, third and fourth, and fifth and sixth. Gerard said that the students found success with the combined two-grade classrooms last year, with the teachers able to give each student individual attention as necessary.
This is the first time that St. Thomas School has needed to drop a grade because of low enrollment. However, Gerard said, the precedent has been set in the northern Minnesota area, as other schools have made similar decisions to cut and later reinstate grade levels.
There are 42 students currently signed up for the 2010-2011 school year, but Gerard said enrollment does not close until August, so more students are expected to sign up this summer.
Gerard, who recently finished his first year as principal at the school, said that the 2009-2010 year was positive. He said he met with most of the parents to discuss the students and the school.
He said that he was “very happy” with Iowa Test of Basic Skills results. The standardized test showed that the students were in the mid-60 percentile on average compared to national results. He noted that many individual students “excelled” well beyond that mark.
He added that an energetic pastor and associate pastor will be joining St. Thomas this summer.
“St. Thomas (School) will be here, don’t worry about us,” Gerard proclaimed.
