SPANISH LAKE — When Trinity Catholic High School closes for good this summer, it will mark the end of more than 70 years of Archdiocesan secondary education in St. Louis County.
Trinity was established as a co-ed high school in 2003 with the merger of three schools — St. Thomas Aquinas-Mercy High (created in a previous merger) in Florissant and Rosary High in Spanish Lake. Nearly 30,000 alumni have graduated from the high schools since the oldest of the four, Mercy, opened in 1948.
Therese Leonard met her future husband at St. Thomas Aquinas, waiting for band class to start. Years later, their three children attended Trinity, where she also taught for 14 years.
“I can say with certainty that their experience at Trinity went far beyond book learning. ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ were pushed out of their comfort zones and challenged to be better versions of themselves,†Leonard said. “We have all made lifetime memories at our schools.â€
Catholic high school enrollment in the St. Louis region has declined 22% over the last decade, according to the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Trinity was the Archdiocese’s last high school in St. Louis County. John F. Kennedy High School in west St. Louis County closed in 2017, after its enrollment fell below 200.
With Trinity’s closure, there are 15 independent Catholic high schools remaining in the county, including the last co-ed school, Barat Academy in Chesterfield. Enrollment at many of those has been trending downward.
Despite mostly staying open for in-person learning during the pandemic, Catholic schools nationwide experienced an enrollment drop of 6.4% in the last year, the steepest annual decline in nearly 50 years, according to the National Catholic Educational Association.
Two of Trinity’s top feeder elementary schools, Christ Light of the Nations in the Spanish Lake area and Most Holy Trinity in north St. Louis, closed after the 2019-2020 school year. Two more feeder schools closed within the past five years — Academy of St. Sabina and St. Angela Merici in Florissant.
Enrollment at Trinity has fluctuated over nearly two decades. In 2005, two years after Trinity opened, the school cut one-fourth of its teaching positions when enrollment fell to around 400. Archdiocesan officials thought the cutbacks would stabilize the school.
“The Archdiocese is very committed to having Catholic education in North County,†Terry Edelmann, a school spokeswoman, told the Post-Dispatch at the time.
In 2011, the Catholic Education Office at the Archdiocese started a scholarship program to recruit more students to its schools. The efforts paid off at Trinity Catholic, where enrollment was on the rise by 2016. Tuition peaked at about $11,000 per year — among the lowest for private schools in the region.
The Trinity Titans athletic teams won 48 district championships and several state championships, most recently in football in 2018 and boys’ and girls’ track and field in 2019.
But in the last year, enrollment had dropped to 284 students, including 77 in the final senior class. Just 37 students were projected to enter this fall as freshmen.
The atmosphere shifted to grief in February when students and teachers learned the school would be closing, said senior Lauren Swindle, 18, of Bellefontaine Neighbors.
"I cried for three days," said Swindle, who counts 12 relatives as alumni of the schools, including her mom, Tina Fichter, Rosary class of 1977.
"I'll still see the people, but the building is so special. You feel a sense of home when you come in," Swindle said.
At least 30 Trinity students are expected to transfer to Lutheran North High, according to its principal. Others could scatter to Marquette Catholic High in Alton or Duchesne High in St. Charles. There are no plans yet for the Trinity campus, according to an Archdiocese spokeswoman.
Hundreds of alumni and staff packed the school Saturday night to roam the halls and share memories for the last time at their alma mater. The local Beatles cover band Abbey Road Warriors rocked the gym for one last dance.
“It's bittersweet,†said Dan Grumich, president of Trinity and a graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas High. “What I'm excited about today is the opportunity to celebrate a legacy in education. While it's sad, it's a time to say goodbye and bring all the schools together.
Trinity Catholic High School in Spanish Lake on Friday, June 25, 2021. The school is closing its doors permanently following the 2020- 2021 school year because of low enrollment and the cost of upkeep on the old building. The school formed in 2003 when St. Thomas Aquinas-Mercy High School merged with Roasary High school. Photo by Colter Peterson, cpeterson@post-dispatch.com
From right, Trinity Catholic High School alumni Joan Holtgrewe LaMarcue, Kitty Gray and Barb Truetken reminisce about the time they spent in high school together during a party for alumni hosted by the Archdiocese of St. Louis after the school building has been permanently at the end of the 2021 school year on Saturday, June 26, 2021. All three women played sports in high school and Gray, center, was the first female scholar athlete from the school. Photo by Daniel Shular, dshular@post-dispatch.com
From left, 1983 alumni Donna Lieu and 1975 alumni Vincent Lieu look through old yearbooks that could be bought with donations at party at Trinity Catholic High School hosted by the Archdiocese of St. Louis after the school was closed permanently after the 2021 school year on Saturday, June 26, 2021. Photo by Daniel Shular, dshular@post-dispatch.com
From left, 1987 alumni Kathy Clynes, Scott Clynes and EJ Pezold look through banners that could be bought with donations at party at Trinity Catholic High School hosted by the Archdiocese of St. Louis after the school was closed permanently after the 2021 school year on Saturday, June 26, 2021. Photo by Daniel Shular, dshular@post-dispatch.com
Trinity Catholic High School in Spanish Lake on Friday, June 25, 2021. The school is closing its doors permanently following the 2020- 2021 school year because of low enrollment and the cost of upkeep on the old building. The school formed in 2003 when St. Thomas Aquinas-Mercy High School merged with Roasary High school. Photo by Colter Peterson, cpeterson@post-dispatch.com
Yorvell Gardner adjusts the cap for her son, Trinity Catholic graduate Brandon Gardner, outside the Cathedral Basilica following the Trinity Catholic High School graduation ceremony on Friday, May 17, 2019 in St. Louis. Gardner has been battling sickle cell disease, but with the help of a program from St. Louis Children's Hospital, he graduated on time with his class. Photo by Chris Lee
Saturday March 29, 2003-Sister Mary Joseph Scanlon, RSM and faculty member of Mercy High School from Sept. 1948 to June 1965, looks at one of her pictures displayed Saturday evening at an auction held at St. Thomas Aguinas-Mercy High School. Pat Kessler (left), of Godfrey, looks on; husband Bill graduated from Mercy High School in 1962. PHOTO BY KATHERINE BISH
Trinity Catholic High School players and fans celebrate their win over Lutheran High School North in the Class 2 District 2 championship game at Trinity Catholic High School, Friday, November 4, 2016. Photo by Roberto Rodriguez
TUESDAY, APRIL 13, 2010- Alicia Gartner, left, of Gateway Metro Credit Union shows Trinity Catholic High School student tellers Brandi Baker, 16, junior, seated center, and Allyson Hinricks, 16, sophomore, seated right, how to open a checking account for fellow students Tuesday at the north St. Louis county high school. The newly opened Gateway branch at Trinity will be open once a week, and will be staffed by volunteer students. Stephanie S. Cordle scordle@post-dispatch.com
(Friday, Dec. 21, 2007) Lutheran South's Ryan Fassler (left) and Trinity Catholic's Marquise Hill wait as a free throw is made during the second half of their basketball game Friday at Lutheran South High School. Trinity's uniforms have been deemed illegal by the National Federation of State High School Associations because of the diagonal stripes that run from the neckline to the arm opening and the side stripes on their shirts. Photo by Whitney Curtis
Saturday March 29, 2003- Nira Brady, of Creve Coeur and 1957 graduate of Mercy High School chats with Sister Mary Joseph Scanlon, RSM and original faculty member of Mercy High School from Sept. 1948 to June 1965 Saturday evening during the auction held at St. Thomas Aquinas-Mercy High School. PHOTO BY KATHERINE BISH