After 130 years of educating generations of young women in Santa Rosa, Ursuline High School will close at the end of this academic year. With enrollment declining due to the recession, 30 percent since the 1999-2000 school year and the need for a substantial loan to continue, the Ursuline Sisters decided to close the school. In response to the news, Cardinal Newman will begin to take the necessary steps to admit young women.  

Cardinal Newman will not be accepting transfer students from Ursuline at the semester break in just a few weeks, but  will be making information available to facilitate such a transition for the 2011-12 academic year.

In an e-mail from the principal  of Cardinal Newman, Graham Rutherford, Ursuline parents were assured that faculty and current students appreciate the work ethic of the young women from Ursuline with whom they already spend time in the classrooms, share athletic facilities, work on service projects, and attend social functions. Rutherford also emphasized that his school will work through their college counseling and placement office to ensure that no one misses a beat.   

The sudden announcement of Ursuline’s closing has surprised and saddened many staff, students, parents and alumni. The  president/principal of Ursuline High School Julie Carver, has invited parents  to attend meetings tonight and tomorrow at Brescia Hall at 5 p.m. to discuss in person the difficult and upsetting news.