St. William Parish Lawn Crest - The School

The School

St William School was under the direction of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, nicknamed "Macs", from its opening in September 1924 until its closing in June 2012. Since opening, enrollment had risen and fallen with the times and the waves of population changes within the parish. Enrollment peaked in 1964, at 1,586, dropped to around 800 by the early 1980s, and peaked again in 1992 at nearly 1,300. Tuition was not charged for or was very inexpensive due to most teachers being religious (Sisters of the IHM). In 1995 the average annual Catholic Elementary School tuition charge was around $500. That increased to $2500–3500, depending on the finances of the parish where the school operates. The number of cheap Religious Sisters teaching in the schools decreased, requiring lay teachers, better paid and entitled to benefits, requiring tuition fees to increase. Parishes still subsidize 18% of the actual cost, which exceeded $5,000 per student.

St. William School enrollment held around 400 for several years, but started dropping again in 2009. Final enrollment for the 2011-2012 year was just over 280 students. The parish would close the last few fiscal years with an average operating deficit for the School of over $190,000. For the fiscal year ending 2012, the Parish Church had an operating surplus of $140,000, however the Parish School's operating loss was $340,000, leaving the Parish, as a whole, with an operating shortfall of $200,000.

A large majority of parishes within the Diocese have seen reductions in numbers in parish and school registration and Mass attendance. This trend has effected the Catholic Church as a whole in most major cities. 20 years ago, a 1,000 plus student enrollment in any given parish school was commonplace, particularly among the Northeast Philadelphia Parishes with large populations. As of 2013 the largest independent parish school enrollment was just over 800. Many of the remaining large schools operate as combined parish schools.

On January 6, 2012, it was announced that the Diocese would close or consolidate over 40 Catholic Elementary and Secondary schools in the five-county region. St. William and St. Cecilia's in Fox Chase would merge in September for the School Year 2012-13, forming a new Regional School with a new name and new staff. After a strong appeal by St. Cecilia's to remain an independent parish school, and the request of many St. William Parish families from day one to be able to send their children to Presentation BVM in Cheltenham, 7 blocks away, versus going nearly 3 miles to St. Cecilia's, it was decided to close St. William School outright, which allowed parents a choice of which local school to attend. Over two dozen families chose Presentation BVM just after the January announcement, with others choosing St. Martin and St. Helena's. Many parish students attend St. Cecilia's. Closing St. William School completely allowed families to remain registered at St. William, but attend other schools, whereas the original plan only allowed St. William Families to attend St. Cecilia, or face paying much higher tuition rates at the other schools, or opting to register at other parishes. The parish of St. William must still subsidize each student $800, regardless of the Catholic school chosen, but this is less than the nearly $2000 subsidy the parish was paying for each child, in addition to building maintenance costs, while running its own school.

A Mass of Thanksgiving and Reception was held on Sunday, June 10, 2012, just before the school closed, to celebrate the nearly 88 year history of St. William School.

After closure, both school buildings were put up for lease. The income from the leases will help bring down any remaining debt owed by the parish to the diocese.