Cardinal Stritch Catholic High School in Oregon, Ohio will close at the end of December 2026, school leadership announced October 7, ending a 65-year run in the Toledo area. With only 69 high school students remaining, enrollment and financial challenges have made continuing impossible, according to a letter from Principal Malinda Siers and Board Chairperson Very Reverend Scott S. Woods.
The closure covers the high school only, grades 9 through 12. The Pre-K through 8th grade Kateri Catholic Academy will remain open. The board has asked Bishop Daniel Thomas to approve the closure and is working with Central Catholic High School so students can continue their Catholic education starting in January. Classes were canceled Friday, October 9 so families could process the news, with counselors and Central Catholic representatives on campus. The Homecoming Dance will go on as planned.
Opened in 1961 and named for Samuel Cardinal Stritch, the school was once a powerhouse: it landed on the Catholic High School Honor Roll’s list of the Top 50 Catholic high schools nationally from 2006 through 2009. The Cardinals competed in the Toledo Area Athletic Conference, moved to eight-man football in 2025, and have gone without a fall season three times in five years.
News of the closure was met with tears, shock and sadness Thursday. Students were told to report to the gym in the morning, and seniors left the school still reeling. The school’s final classes will run through December.
