St. Ignatius Loyola Catholic School in Concord Hill near Marthasville, which has been open for over a century and a half, will close at the end of this school year, the Archdiocese of St. Louis announced Friday.

In a statement, the archdiocese said the parochial school has struggled financially and relies heavily on subsidies.

“In recent years, St. Ignatius School has experienced decreased enrollment and run a deficit that has required more than 50% of their annual Sunday offering to support school operations. Despite efforts from community partners and parishioners to increase enrollment and fundraise, the parish will also require funds from their strategic reserves to complete this school year, as enrollment continues to drop,” the archdiocese said.

According to the school’s website, St. Ignatius has been serving area students since the 1840s.

Bob Koch is a parishioner with deep ties to the school: His grandchildren currently attend, and his daughter, herself a graduate, teaches there. He has also served on the parish finance council for close to 10 years. Koch said the news hit St. Ignatius families hard.

“It’s hard to take, you know? It’s devastating," he said. “Our grandchildren, they’re fourth generation in the school, but there are families up there that are six, seven generations.”

Sarah Neeley, a St. Ignatius alumna whose three daughters currently attend the school, agreed. She said she valued the communal atmosphere and small class sizes that come with a school of only about three dozen students.

“Everybody was close knit up there. It was very family oriented,” she said.

In December 2023, facing the threat of closure, St. Ignatius parishioners opted to keep the school operational and draft a feasibility plan for financial solvency. The Rev. Dennis Doyle wrote in a bulletin at the time he hoped the plan could “ensure the long-term viability of our school.” Koch said that plan relied on a sustained uptick in enrollment. Despite some new recruiting strategies that seemed promising in the 2024-25 school year, the growth has not continued, he said.

It has had its struggles with enrollment,” Koch said. “Families’ priorities are changing, and we don't have as many enrolling in our school in particular, but altogether in parochial schools.”

A 2021-22 survey of elementary schools in the archdiocese found that of the schools in the archdiocese’s Planning Area 12 — which includes schools from Washington, Union, Pacific and Marthasville — St. Ignatius was operating at the lowest capacity, with 41 students enrolled from kindergarten to eighth grade in a building with a capacity of 115 at that time. Koch said 39 students are enrolled this year.

Starting last year, due to its financial situation, the archdiocese required that St. Ignatius ask permission to extend teacher contracts or hire staff. According to its website, the school employs eight people. Neeley said she’s deeply concerned about the loss of jobs at the end of the school year.

“The amazing teachers and staff that they have up there, everybody's thinking of them as well,” she said.

The archdiocese said it would offer placement assistance to faculty and staff at the school.

Neeley said the atmosphere at the school has been somber since the news was made public, but she’s doing her best to stay optimistic.

“It's heartbreaking, but there's, you know, there's hope for the future. God has a plan. That's what my daughter came home yesterday, telling me, ‘My teacher said God has a plan for us.’ And I said, ‘You're right, he does,’" she said.