Changes are on the way for students who attend two Edmonton Catholic schools.
The Edmonton Catholic School Board voted Wednesday to close St. Gabriel Catholic Elementary School in the Capilano neighbourhood at the end of June.
Declining enrolment and the annual cost to keep the school open were deciding factors in the decision to close St. Gabriel, according to Edmonton Catholic Schools spokesperson Lori Nagy.
St. Gabriel currently has just 130 students.
In September 2019, students who previously attended St. Gabriel will go to St. Brendan Catholic Elementary/Junior High School, located about three kilometres south.
Catholic school trustees also voted Wednesday to move the programming at St. Margaret Centre for Diverse Learning in the central Hazeldean neighbourhood to the former St. Gabriel school site. Nagy said increasing numbers for the program meant they needed additional space.
The programming at St. Margaret Centre for Diverse Learning is designed to meet the needs of students with complex emotional and behavioural challenges.
“This vote followed an extensive consultation with the community,” Nagy said in an email.
On Wednesday, letters went home to parents of students enrolled at both schools, notifying them of the changes.
The school board also approved further consultation on the possible consolidation of St. Nicholas and St. Jerome schools.