The Board of Trustees of Cathedral High School, in collaboration with the Archdiocese of New York, has announced that the all-girls Catholic high school in Manhattan will permanently close at the end of the 2025–2026 academic year. The decision follows a comprehensive financial review and months of deliberation with educational and financial experts.
School leaders cited significant enrollment declines, rising operational costs, and fundraising limitations as primary factors in the closure. Since the 2023–2024 academic year, enrollment has dropped by nearly 50 percent, while other expenses have placed increasing strain on the operating budget. Despite the launch of the Flourish Campaign in 2022 and ongoing advancement efforts, fundraising has not been sufficient to ensure long-term sustainability of the all-girls institution.
“Taken together, these realities create a structural and financial imbalance that cannot be corrected without compromising Cathedral’s mission or the quality of education we provide,” the Board said in its statement. “We are profoundly aware of the emotional weight this carries for students, families, faculty, staff, alumnae, and all those who love Cathedral.”
In recent years, Cathedral High School has reported measurable academic gains under Principal Jessica Aybar, particularly in Global Studies, U.S. History and Government, Chemistry, Geometry, and Algebra II. The school also renewed its emphasis on Catholic identity, recommitting to five core values: faith, respect, integrity, hard work, and service.
“To our faculty and staff: thank you for your unwavering dedication. To our students and families: thank you for your trust and faith. To our alumnae, benefactors, and community partners: thank you for standing by Cathedral through generations of service and success,” the statement continued.
The Board highlighted that supporting students and families will be the top priority in the months ahead. Guidance and resources will be provided to help students transfer to other schools of their choosing before the start of the 2026–2027 academic year.
Sister Mary Grace Walsh, ASCJ, Ph.D., Superintendent of Schools for the Archdiocese of New York, offered words of reassurance to students and families affected by the upcoming closure. She emphasized that every young woman currently attending Cathedral High School who wishes to continue her Catholic education will have a place in another Catholic high school within the archdiocese.
“Families should know they are not alone during this time,” she said. “Every young woman who desires a Catholic education will find a place in our schools. There is always room for her—room to learn, to grow, and to become the person God is calling her to be.”
While the 2025–2026 academic year will be its last, the Board emphasized that Cathedral High School’s mission and values will endure. “Though this chapter is coming to a close, the legacy of Cathedral High School—the values we’ve instilled, the lives we’ve shaped, and the community we’ve built—will live on,” the Board said.
About Cathedral High School
Founded in 1905 by the Sisters of Charity, Cathedral High School has provided generations of young women in New York City with a transformative Catholic education rooted in academic excellence, faith, and service. From its earliest days, educating the daughters of immigrants, Cathedral has embraced the diversity of the city it calls home, instilling in students a deep sense of human dignity, leadership, and perseverance.
With a legacy spanning over a century, Cathedral graduates have gone on to pursue higher education and professional careers that were once thought impossible for women at the time of the institution’s founding. Accredited by the Middle States Association of Secondary Schools, Cathedral has provided high-quality educational experiences that prepare students to excel academically, spiritually, and personally, while also enabling them to make meaningful contributions to their communities.