St. Anthony School in Kalihi to close after 90 years

St. Anthony School in Kalihi will shut down for good in June after 90 years in operation, the latest small school to succumb to declining enrollment.

Enrollment at the Catholic school dropped to 76 students in kindergarten through eighth grade this year, down from 100 students three years ago. Founded in 1928, it is on the grounds of St. Anthony Church Kalihi on Puuhale Road.

Parents heard about the impending closure at a recent meeting at the school.

“We were shocked,” said Enrique Bernardo as he picked up his kids after school Thursday. “We were shocked and we were sad, too, because this school has been here for 90 years. I have two boys here, and I like the way they handle the kids.”

Overall enrollment in Catholic schools has been falling in the islands and across the nation, leading to the closure of some small campuses. Cathedral Catholic Academy in Nuuanu shut down in 2016 and Holy Trinity School in Hawaii Kai closed in 2010.

Two other Catholic schools on Maui shuttered their elementary schools and became preschools in 2010 and 2011.

Mike Rockers, superintendent of Hawaii Catholic Schools, said St. Anthony’s pastor, the Rev. Arnel Soriano, consulted with the Parish Pastoral Council and school board in reaching his decision, and had the board’s full support.

“He collaborated with a lot of consultative bodies and had to make a difficult but I think appropriate decision,” Rockers said. “The two main factors were the enrollment, not just for this year but the trend over the last eight, nine years, and related to that of course is the finances.”

St. Anthony School kept its tuition among the lowest of any private school on Oahu in an effort to remain affordable to its neighbors in Kalihi. It charged $4,000 in tuition plus $950 in fees this year, according to its website.

“It’s an iconic school,” said Ryan Gilardy, who works nearby and appreciates its Christian values, having gone to Catholic school himself. “It’s sad to see this shutting down. When you instill these values in young children, they tend to keep them when they get older.”

The school’s staff of 12 includes three nuns. The parish and diocese are working to ease the transition for faculty, staff and students, Rockers said. A committee formed by Soriano will look into options for future use of the facilities.

Bernardo isn’t sure where his boys will enroll this fall. His oldest is in eighth grade and will be graduating from St. Anthony’s and heading to high school, and his youngest is in third grade.

“The parish priest and staff, they did everything they can to run this school,” Bernardo said. “They tried their best.”