Horsham Area Catholic Elementary Schools to Consolidate

Three Horsham area Catholic elementary schools are set to merge under a consolidation and closure plan impacting dozens of schools in Montgomery, Bucks and Chester counties, as well as the Philadelphia region, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced Friday.

The schools - St. Anthony-St. Joseph in Ambler and  in Horsham - are slated to merge with St. Alphonsus in Maple Glen, at the school's existing site, 29 Conwell Drive in Maple Glen. The regional school will be situated 2.5 miles away from St. Anthony-St. Joseph and 4 miles from St. Catherine.

The local school merger is one of many recommendations of the 16-member blue ribbon commission. The commission's 44-page report outlined the reasons behind restructuring the Archdiocese of Philadelphia schools, which educate 68,000 students annually - the same enrollment number as in 1911.  

According to a frequently asked questions section, schools that are being consolidated "will come together to form the new school at one of the partner’s school locations. This transition process has been designed to help these schools come together. A council will be created consisting of stakeholders from each school to help develop the school’s new identity, including name, colors, mascot, etc."