Melbourne Catholic Schools Closure: 100 Students Left to Find New Schools

The sudden closure of three Catholic schools in Melbourne has left parents and staff reeling, with families now scrambling to find new schools for their children. St Philip's School in Blackburn North, Ss Peter and Paul's School in Doncaster East, and St Pius X School in Heidelberg West will close at the end of the 2026 school year, affecting over 100 students.

Reasons for Closure

According to a letter sent to parents at St Philip's School in early September, the decision to close was made after a review into the school's long-term sustainability. The review found that the Blackburn North school was "not sustainable in its current form" due to enrolments having been in "steady decline for many years". The letter stated that "despite genuine effort to strengthen the school's position and some recent interest from prospective families for the 2027 prep intake, enrolments remain critically low at only 33 students for 2026".

Ss Peter and Paul's School recorded 55 enrolments this year, while St Pius X School recorded 36 enrolments. A spokesperson for Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) said that changing demographics in Melbourne's eastern and southern suburbs meant the schools could no longer be operated sustainably in the long term.

"Falling birth rates, changing population patterns and declining enrolments in some established communities have resulted in fewer school-aged children in a number of areas," the spokesperson said. "Transition planning is already underway, with families being offered enrolment pathways to nearby MACS schools."

Impact on Families

Several parents expressed their disappointment and concern about the closure, citing the school's support for students with learning difficulties and neurodivergence. Anthony Navaretti, whose two sons are enrolled at St Philip's School, said he and other parents were blindsided by the closure announcement.

"There was no communication that this might be anywhere near a possibility," Mr Navaretti said. "They haven't asked for any fundraising or raised concerns or given any sort of deadlines, it just kind of came out of the blue."

Mr Navaretti's eldest son lives with autism and has been able to attend the same school as his brother due to the support offered by St Philip's. The sudden closure meant the two boys may need to split up, he said.

"There's not a lot of time to find a school. I know one school near us said their enrolments were already full," Mr Navaretti said.

Angi Hill, whose son has been enrolled at St Pius X School since prep, was devastated by the news of the school's imminent closure.

"I can only speak for my own family, my son was very upset, there were tears," Ms Hill said. "So there's a lot of processing to do, obviously for ourselves as parents, but also for the children as well."

Ms Hill worries that the closure will send the wrong message to children who have struggled in mainstream schools.

"If you were just looking at spreadsheet of numbers of kids in different schools under MACS, it's kind of a no-brainer to say: 'Hey, 33 kids, let's just shut that down,'" Ms Hill said. "But it's not just 33 children, it's 33 lives."