St. Paul School will close in June, reopen as early learning center

SEATTLE – After months of deliberation, St. Paul School in South Seattle announced January 25 it will close its K-8 program at the end of the school year and reopen this fall as an early learning center.

“This is a very sad day for everyone. No one wants to see a Catholic school close,” Kristin Dixon, the archdiocese’s superintendent Catholic Schools, said in a news release.

But the “distressing reality,” she said, is that St. Paul’s reached a point where it was no longer sustainable, despite efforts from the parish community, the Catholic Schools office and “generous supporters like the Fulcrum Foundation.”

Students at St. Paul School, who come from South Seattle, Renton, Tukwila and Kent, will complete this academic year with in-person and online learning. Families will be assisted by school leaders and the Catholic Schools office to transition their students to one of six nearby Catholic schools, if desired and space allows.

The decision to close the school represents the consensus of the St. Paul School Commission, the regional Pastoral Council, the Archdiocesan School Board and Archbishop Paul D. Etienne, the release said.

School leaders, in partnership with Catholic Schools, are exploring ways to configure a new “St. Paul Center” on the parish campus to serve families with children from birth to age 5. The new early learning center will start registration this spring for 3- and 4-year-old preschool students for the 2021–2022 school year.

Dan Sherman, St. Paul’s principal, acknowledged the difficulty of facing the school’s closure.

“Each, in our own way, will need time to mourn this loss,” he said.

But “the entire family of St. Paul School and Parish will find ways to celebrate the achievements and history of something that, for years, has brought much pride and many triumphs to a distinctive neighborhood.”

“I am very proud of this school community and so grateful for the opportunity to be part of it,” Sherman said.