This fall, due to the closure of two local Catholic schools, Flintridge Sacred Heart welcomed a record number of students to the sophomore class.

When Alverno High School in Sierra Madre and Holy Family High School in Glendale closed down last year, their students were impacted academically and emotionally. Two schools closing at the same time was an abrupt change that affected Catholic communities. Many of the Alverno and Holy Family students made the decision to continue their education at Flintridge Sacred Heart. 

“We are fortunate that we are in a position at Sacred Heart to be strong enough resourcefully and talent-wise with staffulty so that we can absorb the challenges that our smaller communities are facing,” Ms. Gloria Ventura, Director of Admission and Enrollment Management, said.

The admissions and enrollment department at Flintridge Sacred Heart made it their goal to help students from closed schools find a home on the Hill. 

“When Sr. Carolyn was first notified of the school closures, she said that we will consider every family that comes to us interested in applying to Sacred Heart [and] we will do everything we can to support that family because they have been impacted,” Ms. Ventura said.

For FSH, the timing was particularly opportune. It’s been the goal of the school over the past few years to restore enrollment to pre-pandemic levels.

“Keep in mind the impact of Covid. As you know, the senior class is small, and that’s the impact of Covid. This is now the rebuilding stage for us because our goal is to have 100 girls per grade,” Ms. Ventura said. 

An event like this—the shuttering of two area Catholic schools in late June—has never happened before.

“It was a big adjustment for all of them [new sophomores], on top of just being new at a new school. They didn’t see it coming,” said Ms. Ventura.

Transfers from the class of ‘26 assumed they would spend all four years at their former school, so the abrupt change was a struggle.

“I’m basically re-living freshman year because it’s a new school, new people, new friends,” Mia Escobar ‘26 said.

Despite the initial challenges of adjustment, the future on the Hill looks bright for these sophomores, and they are starting the new school year with a positive mindset. 

“I think over the years, this will be pretty fun,” says Escobar. “I really felt the comfort [on the Hill] on the first day.”