Redeemer Lutheran School will close at the end of the school year in June. (Google Maps)
April 8, 2019 By Laura Hanrahan
Glendale’s Redeemer Lutheran School will be shutting its doors this year after more than 60 years in operation.
The closure, announced Thursday night on the school’s Facebook page, is reportedly due to low enrollment rates and high-priced repairs needed in the building, located at 69-26 Cooper Ave.
“It is with a heavy heart that I tell you that Redeemer Lutheran School will not reopen this fall,” the announcement read. “God has blessed our little school with over 60 years of Christian education. Please pray for our students, faculty and staff as they face a new chapter in their lives. We are choosing to celebrate the many years we have had as a family. Thank you to all who have supported our school.”
The announcement received an outpouring of responses from residents who had sent their children to the school, or had attended the school themselves, sharing their fond memories of their time there.
“I was blessed to be a part of an amazing family of educators who inspired me to become an educator as well,” one commenter wrote. “I have so many wonderful memories of book fairs, plays, spelling bees, art projects, and volleyball games.”
Enrollment at Redeemer, which offers Pre-K through middle school classes, has dropped off in recent years. With the lowered attendance and several necessary building repair projects going underway, the school’s debt increased to $300,000.
Just last December, Redeemer held a fundraising campaign to raise $30,000 to fix a botched boiler repair job.
“Last year we hired a company to do a major overhaul of our heating system,” the fundraiser’s GoFundMe page read. “The cost was nearly $75,000. The company did not complete the job correctly and has left us with nearly $30,000 in bills in order to get it in compliance with the city.”
Other Lutheran schools have met a similar fate. Our Savior Lutheran in Rego Park and St. John’s Lutheran in Glendale having closed in recent years.
2 Comments
Private schools are closing because they have become too expensive, especially in a neighborhood with good public schools. My friends that stayed in Glendale and had kids there felt their kids got a better education at the PS than they would have at St Pancras (where we went).
Just curioud. What is going on in Glendale ? Something residents should be aware of ? St. Pancras closed. Redeemer Lutheran closing. Almost all the banks have high tailed it. Leaving us with dollar stores, nail salons and pharmacies. I feel the need to move is getting greater and greater.