A long-standing pillar of the Memphis community and education, Immaculate Conception Cathedral School will be shutting its doors after 102 years, as reported by Action News 5. The school, which currently educates preschool through eighth grade students, announced it will close after this academic year.
The decision, stemming from a "lack of financial stability" and a "struggle with enrollment," will affect 159 students and a staff comprising 35 teachers and staffers. The announcement delivered a blow to the local community that has relied on the educational institution since its inception by the Sisters of Mercy in 1922, a mere year following the establishment of the parish.
According to a statement obtained by Local Memphis, the Catholic Diocese of Memphis confirmed the upcoming closure of the Midtown school. This marks the second reduction of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral School's services following the high school's shutdown in 2020.
"This is a very heartbreaking decision given the rich history of our school," Father Robert Szczechura, pastor of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, lamented in a press release by The Commercial Appeal. The persistent financial challenges and dwindling enrollment numbers have cornered the parish into a position where keeping the school operative was impossible.
