CLAREMONT — St. John Paul II Academy, which opened last September in the former home of New England Classical Academy to teach K-12 students, will not reopen for a second year, the pastor of St. Mary Parish on Central Street announced.
The Rev. Shawn Therrien cited low enrollment and financial concerns.
St. Mary’s Catholic School education dates back to the 1890s. It grew to significant size before St. Mary High School on Hanover Street, now Disnard Elementary School, closed in 1971. The elementary school for grades K-8 closed in 2009 and was replaced a short time later by New England Classical Academy, which is now located on Old Church Road in West Claremont. Though taught in the “Catholic tradition,” NECA was not affiliated with the Diocese of Manchester.
— Patrick O’Grady, Valley News correspondent