School closures in Sydney and Melbourne will affect up to 159 pupils after a private boys’ college and three Catholic primary schools announced they would shut at the end of the year.
Hartford College in Sydney revealed its decision last week, while St Philip’s School in Blackburn North, Ss Peter and Paul’s School in Doncaster East and St Pius X School in Heidelberg West announced similar plans in early September.
The Sydney school has 35 pupils, while a total of 124 children attend the three schools overseen by Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS).
The decisions have left parents under pressure to secure places elsewhere, with complaints that they were given too little time to make arrangements for the 2027 school year.
Petitions have been launched at Hartford College and Ss Peter and Paul’s in attempts to reverse or delay the closures. The Hartford campaign has attracted more than 200 signatures, despite the school having an enrolment of 35.
“Children and teachers are about to lose a school they love, with only weeks’ notice,” the Hartford petition states.
“For these children, Hartford can’t simply be swapped for another school without consequence.”
The petition organiser said the timing had left a “massive question mark” over pupils’ education in 2027, with many schools already having filled their places.
“Parents were never given clear information about how serious things were, or any real chance to help fix them, before the decision to close was made,” he said.
“The timing also leaves families in an impossible position as most schools have already filled their 2027 places.
“Parents are being asked to make rushed, irreversible decisions about their children’s education, siblings and friendships before every reasonable option has been tried.”
Parents challenge Melbourne school closures
The petition at Ss Peter and Paul’s has gathered more than 80 signatures, with parents describing the closure announcement as devastating.
“My kids have been attending [the school] and it breaks my heart to think that they might have to switch schools,” one parent wrote.
“Having to find another school for them would uproot their lives and that’s a decision no parent wants to face.”
Former staff and pupils at St Pius X have also expressed their disappointment. One former teacher said the school had once been home to 1,000 children and described their time there as “the joy of my life”.
Another former pupil said: “It’s very sad. Being there from the beginning, it shaped the person I am.”
MACS defended the closures, saying changing demographics and falling pupil numbers had made the schools unsustainable. St Philip’s, Blackburn North, has 33 pupils.
“Demographic trends in Melbourne’s eastern and southern suburbs continue to evolve,” a MACS spokesman said.
“Falling birth rates, changing population patterns and declining enrolments in some established communities have resulted in fewer school-aged children in a number of areas.”
He said the decisions followed an “extensive review and careful consideration of enrolment patterns, demographic trends and the long-term sustainability of local Catholic education provision”.
“These decisions are never made lightly, but reflect MACS’ commitment to responsible stewardship, ensuring resources are directed where they can best support students, families and communities both now and into the future,” he added.
MACS said transition planning was under way, with families being offered enrolment pathways to nearby Catholic schools. Support was also being provided to pupils, families and staff.
Hartford College closure
Hartford College, which opened less than four years ago, has not publicly given a detailed explanation for its closure. School chairman Peter Foley told parents it had been a “difficult decision to conclude operations”.
He said pupils would be offered places within the Sydney Catholic Schools network.
“We recognise that you have entrusted your sons to Hartford College and the unique education in the Catholic liberal arts tradition … This was not a decision reached quickly or lightly,” Mr Foley said in a letter to parents.
The closures may cause disruption beyond the immediate search for new school places, according to Rachel Wilson, professor of social impact at UTS Business School.
“Closures have significant impacts upon students’ academic outcomes and even long term post-school education and employment,” she said.
Professor Wilson said research from countries where school closures were more common had linked them with lower test scores, increased behavioural issues and suspensions, reduced attendance and effects on later education and employment.
She said carefully organised transfers could help children remain with friends and classmates, but warned that changing schools could also affect family routines, travel arrangements and after-school care.
Professor Wilson said the closures did not indicate a national trend, arguing that Australia was instead facing shortages of schools and classrooms in rapidly growing areas.
“These current closures are unusual and likely reflect localised population shifts and may also be due to a loss of market share in a highly marketised school system,” she said.
She said more closures were possible but unlikely, with localised shortages of schools and classrooms, particularly in the public sector, more likely to remain the wider issue.
