BURBANK, Ill., Jan. 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Queen of Peace High School, a Roman Catholic school for girls in Burbank, IL, will close its doors at the end of this year's school term. Established in 1962 by the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters, Queen of Peace has provided a mission-driven, college preparatory education for more than 15,000 young women over the past 55 years.
"This has been a most difficult and heart-breaking decision," said Queen of Peace president Anne O'Malley, a 1975 Queen of Peace graduate. "The financial realities and declining enrollment over the past 10 years make it impossible to sustain a superior four-year academic experience for the bright and deserving young women of Chicago's south side. As a result, the Board of Directors, with approval of the Sponsor's Council and the Sinsinawa Dominican Congregation, have determined that the school will discontinue operations as of June 2017."
While the annual per student cost to educate is $15,500, tuition at Queen of Peace is set at $10,500. However, more than 60 percent of students require financial assistance throughout their four years of high school. "We appreciate all of our invaluable donors and longtime supporters but we simply have not been able to raise the more than $1 million above-and-beyond tuition required each year to continue to ensure a quality education," added O'Malley.
Designed to accommodate 1,400 students in the 1960s, the school currently has an enrollment of 288. "We have a wonderful campus and excellent faculty providing challenging Advanced Placement classes and an innovative STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) curricula introduced in 2015. It is truly a loss to no longer be able to provide these opportunities for the talented young women who are destined to become our future leaders," observed O'Malley.
A transition team has been established to help students identify the best options for completion of their high school education. Personalized recommendations will be provided for schools based on academics, extra-curricular activities and interests, and personal match. Two school fairs will be held for students and parents to meet with representatives of other Archdiocese schools. A transition fund will assist students requiring financial aid to complete their Catholic high school education.
"We are working hard to provide solutions to help ease the transition for our girls with a personal profile developed for each student to provide a good path forward. Nothing is perfect but we hope it will help," noted O'Malley. "We continue to believe in the potential of each Queen of Peace student to reach for the stars and achieve her dreams just as so many of our remarkable alumnae have done since our first graduating class of 1966."
About Queen of Peace High School
A Catholic Dominicans of Sinsinawa college preparatory high school established in 1962, Queen of Peace is dedicated to the education and empowerment of young women in an environment that inspires academic excellence in a nurturing culture grounded in our Dominican Values of Truth, Compassion, Justice, Partnership, and Community. Queen of Peace is one of only two all-girl high schools in America to partner with nationally-recognized Project Lead the Way (PLTW) to offer the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) curriculum. www.queenofpeacehs.org
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SOURCE Queen of Peace High School
