Mount Carmel in Niles will close

NILES – Our Lady of Mount Carmel School will close at the end of the school year, the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown announced today.

The announcement comes as supporters of keeping the school open have started a petition drive to generate support for the school that has been open for 58 years.

Monsignor Robert Siffrin, diocesan administrator, accepted the recommendations of Father Larry Frient, pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, and the parish’s council and finance committee to close.

Declining enrollment was the major factor in the decision. Enrollment has declined from 276 pupils nine years ago to the current 69.