AUBURN — Saint Dominic Academy will close its high school, grades 9 through 12, at the end of this current school year, according to a letter Bishop James Ruggieri sent to parents. All grades, kindergarten through 8, will now reside at the Holy Cross campus in Lewiston.

“After much prayer, consultation, and reflection, it is with a heavy heart that I share with you my decision to close the high school division of St. Dominic Academy (grades 9-12) at the conclusion of the current school year,” he wrote in the letter. “This is a very difficult decision, and I am saddened by the impact it will have on the St. Dominic community. The closure of the high school is a significant loss to the present St. Dominic community, as well as to alumni/alumnae and the broader Lewiston-Auburn area.”

The high school has sustained significant operational losses going back several years, according to Ruggieri. It lost $2.5 million between 2020-25, with $1 million of that being subsidized by the diocese.

Enrollment at the school has dipped since 2018, with 137 students currently being served by the high school, he said. Enrollment would have to increase substantially and steadily to sustain the high school, and it is unclear what additional costs that scenario would incur. For that reason, he said, it is challenging to know exactly what the threshold of financial viability would be.

“I realize that this announcement may be both shocking and deeply upsetting to you; however, based on a thorough analysis of enrollment data over the past eight years and financial data over the past five years, it is clear to me that the high school program is no longer financially sustainable,” he wrote in the letter.

He praised the current high school administration and committed donors for their support of the school, calling Head of School Kathy Martin and her team’s efforts “courageous.”

The Lewiston campus will continue to “provide a strong Catholic education for its students,” he wrote in the letter.

“Please be assured that the diocese is not abandoning St. Dominic Academy, and we will work diligently to maintain a vibrant Catholic elementary and middle school at the Lewiston campus moving forward,” he wrote in the letter.

“Additionally, please be assured that school and diocesan officials will do their best to attend to the needs of the current faculty, staff, and students at the school, so that they can cope with this news and complete the current school year successfully.”

Support will be available Monday to students who are struggling with their emotions over the decision, he said. There will be a forum April 10 at 6 p.m. at the Auburn campus for high school families impacted, at which Ruggieri and others from the diocese will answer questions and provide resources for students transitioning to another high school.

There will be a separate meeting for families with students in grades 5 through 7, but a time for that meeting was not mentioned in the letter Friday.