A small Catholic high school in Baton Rouge where students work in white-collar jobs to help pay their tuition is closing its doors when the current school year ends.
“With a heavy heart,” the president of Franciscan High School, Eric Engemann, said in announcing the school’s closure on Thursday in a letter to parents that has been posted on the school’s website.
“Please know that all options to continue operating Franciscan in some capacity at its current location have been explored and exhausted by all parties,” Engemann wrote. “We have always acted in the best interests of our students and families, and simply put, we have no other option available to us.”
The last day of school is June 2. The school has about 165 students. All except graduating seniors are being referred to other high schools in the area.
Franciscan High School opened seven years ago as Cristo Rey Baton Rouge Franciscan High School. It planned to attract 400 to 500 students over time, but it never got close.
Its plans were immediately disrupted by the August 2016 floods. Those record rains flooded the school’s campus, the former Redemptorist High School, forcing the new school to operate elsewhere for the next year. Meanwhile, the old Redemptorist facility was demolished and a new temporary campus constructed in its place at 4000 St. Gerard Ave., where the school continues to operate.
In 2022, the high school severed its ties with the Chicago-based Cristo Rey private school network, but stuck with the network’s educational model in which students work white-collar, part-time jobs with local employers to offset part of their tuition.
The school has also taken advantage of public assistance programs Louisiana has for private schools, including its voucher program. The school also has raised additional funds privately.
The school is one of three Catholic schools in Baton Rouge that are not sponsored by the Diocese of Baton Rouge, but by religious orders. Its sponsor is the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady.
In his letter, Engemann included a list of “frequently asked questions” and promised school staff would be available to answer any additional questions or concerns.
“We will ensure that our school counselors are ready to support your children’s emotional needs and answer any questions they may have,” he wrote.
On Tuesday afternoon, Engemann issued a public statement on the matter, promising a “comprehensive support effort” that includes helping current students find new schools, mental health support and other services for students as well as career services and financial support for faculty and staff members displaced by the school’s closure. This information is being posted on the school’s website, www.franciscanhigh.org.
Leave a Reply