A statement from the Diocese of Trenton on Holy Cross Academy, Delran

For 60 years, Holy Cross High School/Academy in Delran has been both a blessing and an important resource in the Diocese of Trenton, providing a quality Catholic education to families in Burlington County and beyond.

During that time, this diocesan high school has seen significant growth, at one point even requiring the construction of a larger facility.  More recently, however, the school, like many others across the nation, has experienced serious decline in both its enrollment and its ability to sustain itself financially. 

Over the past 20-plus years, the Diocese of Trenton has provided $13.8 million in subsidies to Holy Cross High School/Academy, including more than $500,000 for the last school year to cover shortfalls in operating expenses brought about by low enrollment numbers. Efforts to build enrollment and strengthen the school’s financial footing over the past several years have not been sufficiently impactful, and neither the Diocese nor the school itself has the means to keep the school operating for any extended period of time.

As a result, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., has announced that Holy Cross High School/Academy will close as a diocesan high school June 30, 2018.  The Bishop has given permission for a group of interested alumni to implement a plan that would re-open Holy Cross as a new independent Catholic high school on July 1, 2018, and he has offered the Diocese’s cooperation as this plan begins to move forward. The group will issue information on this plan very soon.

Bishop O’Connell expressed his heart-felt appreciation to the principal, Dennis Guida, the faculty, staff and priest chaplains for all they have done for the school and the students over the years; and all the families who have made a real commitment to Catholic education by sending their children to Holy Cross over the last six decades.

May God bless everyone in the Holy Cross community as we transition to a new chapter in Catholic education for Burlington County.