St. John Central Academy

St. John Central Academy will close its doors for good, the school’s board of directors announced Thursday.

In a social media post, the board said finances led to the closure.

“The decision was not made lightly, as the board and school leadership exhausted every possible avenue to secure financial stability for the Academy,” the post read. “Unfortunately, despite these efforts, dwindling enrollment numbers and increasing operational costs made it impossible to sustain the institution. St. John Central High School and St. John Central Academy have been a cornerstone of the Bellaire community, fostering education and values for generations of students.”

St. John administrators will help current students and their families in transitioning to new schools and maintaining a smooth closure process. Further details, including timelines and resources, will be announced later.

St. John Central High School opened in 1857 as part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Steubenville and operated until 2019, when the diocese announced it would close. A private committee established St. John Central Academy in the fall of 2019 and operated the school until now.

Return to timesleaderonline.com later for more on this developing story.