Families and parishioners of St. Michael’s Catholic Church received word late last week that their school, which has been in operation for 75 years, will close its doors at the end of the 2025-26 school year.
In a letter sent to families, the church announced that St. Michael’s School will close at the end of the school year. The plan was approved by Archbishop McGovern, Superintendent of Catholic Schools Vickie Kauffold, the St. Michael Parish Council, the St. Michael Finance Council, the St. Michael School Board and school administration.
Increasing costs were cited as the chief reason for the decision to close the school.
“This decision was not made lightly,” the letter stated. “It comes after reviewing over 10 years of our financial and educational data and carefully discussing possible scenarios for our current situation.”
For the past 10 years, the St. Michael’s parish has struggled to balance the ever-increasing cost of education with available income from school tuition and parish collections. The past two years have placed a significant burden on the parish, reaching a point where the resources to continue funding the school are no longer available.
St. Michael’s opened its school in 1950 and has served multiple generations of families in the Siouxland region, and school officials recognized the support the school has received during that time.
“Our parish and school are truly grateful for the support we have received over many years from the Siouxland communities,” the letter statetd. “We are also profoundly grateful for efforts that so many teachers and principals have made in order to offer a quality, Catholic education to the region and to make St. Michael’s a home to so many.”
Church officials said they are deeply committed to supporting Catholic education in the region and will be working to develop ways to support families that wish to continue to their kids’ Catholic education.
“We ask that you continue to pray for St. Michael’s,” they said. “We are hopeful for the opportunities this transition will bring, and we look forward to developing new ways to support our families and youth in growing closer to Jesus Christ.”
