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STAR-ADVERTISER / FEB. 2011
Lutheran High School in Manoa. After 45 years in operation, Lutheran High School of Hawaii will close its doors for good at the end of this academic year because enrollment has fallen to just 38 students.
After 45 years in operation, Lutheran High School of Hawaii will close its doors for good at the end of this academic year because enrollment has fallen to just 38 students.
“This was a very difficult decision for the board to make, but one that was fiscally prudent,” said Donna Carney, director of the Board of the Lutheran High School Association of Hawaii, which oversees the school.
There are 11 students in this year’s graduating class. Faculty and staff will help the other students in grades sixth through 11 find new schools for the next academic year.
Lutheran High School’s student body had dropped from 92 in the 2011-12 academic year to 50 last year, according to enrollment reports maintained by the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools.
The school, on the grounds of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church on University Avenue, is one of 120 high schools operated by the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. It has a faculty and staff of 13, headed by Principal Daryl Utsumi. Students and staff were told last week of the decision to close.
The Lutheran Church opened a lower school with kindergarten through eighth-grade education in 1965. It added ninth grade in the 1970-71 academic year and its first seniors graduated in 1975.
it looks like religious school across the country are in trouble. It seems like parents are afraid to leave their children with religious organizations and the blame should probably be placed on the horrendous doings of the Catholic church. Additional lawsuits against Catholic priests were mentioned in today’s paper so the closing of this school should come as no surprise.
You’re lumping “religious schools across the country” with what is going on with the Catholic church? Knowledge is a wonderful thing, my friend. I suggest educating yourself on world religions as well as on the private educational systems in our country.
They were better than public schools when the nuns taught in the classrooms.
agree
Lutheran is NOT a Catholic school. Goodness gracious.
You are delusional if you think sexual abuse happens only in private Catholic Schools. One good example would be the public school run by the DOE in Waikiki for the deaf and blind. If only Catholic priest committed this heinous crimes, the prisons would be empty. These child predators are in all walks of life – unfortunately.
my cousin went to school there in the 80s. he really liked it. I think his graduating class had about 50 students. from what I heard, things really went downhill after the previous principal retired. sad to see it come to this.
I sent my son there, it wasn’t worth the tuition.