St. Zachary Catholic School in Des Plaines will close for good when the current school year ends.
Daily Herald File Photo, 2016
A Roman Catholic elementary school in Des Plaines will close for good at the end of the current school year, the Archdiocese of Chicago confirmed Tuesday.
St. Zachary School, 567 W. Algonquin Road, is shuttering because of low enrollment, said Katie O’Dea, a spokeswoman for the archdiocese’s Office of Catholic Schools. Only 20 students were signed up to attend classes there in the 2024-25 term, she said.
The decision was made by school and parish leadership, with input from the archdiocese, O’Dea said. School leaders notified parents of the pending closure last week, she said.
“It’s heartbreaking when any school closes, because they’re so important to their community,” O’Dea said.
Serving preschoolers through eighth-graders, St. Zachary School opened in 1963. It merged with Our Lady of Destiny School in 2015 as part of a diocese-wide school restructuring plan affecting schools throughout Cook and Lake counties.