GREAT FALLS — Parents of St. Patrick’s Academy High School students say an email sent shortly after 7 p.m. Friday left families only days to make new plans.
They say, the letter announced the high school would not open for the 2026-27 academic year, though classes were scheduled to begin Wednesday, Aug. 26.
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For Raylene Franklin, the announcement set off a last-minute search for a school for her son, Colter, an incoming senior.
“I’m just overwhelmed,” Franklin said. “I’m trying to make a decision and trying to get him into a school that works for him in two days.”
She says Colter had four credits remaining and planned to take classes in the morning before working in the afternoon to help save money for college. Now, Colter says, he does not know whether another school can accommodate that schedule.
“I only had four classes that I was going to do, so I was going to do those four classes in the morning, and then I was going to work afternoons,” Colter said. “Now, I don’t know if I’m going to be able to have that schedule anywhere else.”
With school offices closed for the weekend, Franklin said the family will begin contacting schools Monday.
Another parent, Cristen Cochran, had already enrolled her daughter, Abbiella, at the Paris Gibson Education Center earlier in the week after becoming concerned about the high school’s future.
Cochran said her family became uneasy after receiving little communication over the summer, after enrolling earlier this year.
“When they quit talking to us the last day of school, and we didn’t get any communication until the second week of August, we were like, ‘Something’s not right,’” Cochran said.
Abbie plans to wrestle through Great Falls High School, but her family still has questions about whether the transfer will affect her varsity eligibility. Cochran said those questions also carry potential consequences for college scholarships.
“She’s been wrestling varsity for a year and a half,” Cochran said. “With us now having to be transferred, we don’t know if she’ll be able to wrestle varsity her senior year.”
Beyond wrestling, Abbie said she is losing the senior year she expected to share with her class, who she had grown close with.
“This is supposed to be our senior year. It’s supposed to be a fun year. It’s all supposed to be planned out,” Abbie said.
In a press release Saturday, Bishop Jeffrey Fleming confirmed that St. Patrick’s Academy High School will not open for the coming year. Fleming said months of efforts to recruit qualified administrative leadership and faculty did not produce the stable staffing needed to operate the school effectively.
"This decision comes with profound sadness," Bishop Fleming said in the release. "Despite our best efforts, we have been unable to establish the foundation necessary to provide the quality Catholic education our students and families deserve."
Additionally, Fleming noted the diocese will continue supporting families and employees as they consider new educational and professional opportunities.
The announcement follows the closure of St. Patrick’s Academy’s East Campus at the end of the 2025-26 school year.
For Colter and his family, the immediate focus is finding somewhere for him to complete his senior year without falling behind.
“Monday, we’re going around to a couple of the schools in town to see how that will all pan out,” Colter said. “I don’t even know if I’m going to start school on time.”
