St. Mary's Catholic School opened in Boyle Heights, alongside its affiliated church, in 1897.
"We have been here for so many years, so now I'm bringing my grandchildren here," Julie Luevano told ABC7. "So it does affect us deeply."
The pastor announced the closure this past week, pointing in part to the coronavirus pandemic and describing the challenges as being beyond their control.
Over the past 5 years, the school's enrollment has decreased by 38%.
Factors include competition, with 32 public and charter schools serving the same grade level within a 1.5-mile radius of St. Mary School -- not to mention four other Catholic elementary schools within that same area.
Parents hold protest against planned closure of Inglewood's Warren Lane Elementary School
Parents hold protest against planned closure of Inglewood's Warren Lane Elementary School
It means that at the end of this academic year, St. Mary School will shut down its program, which includes transitional kindergarten through 8th grade, to consolidate with the nearby School of Santa Isabel.
"The school is very important for this area," parent Adriana Reza said.
Parents are pleading for help.
"Come to the school, talk with the parents, see the situation, help the kids and think about the future," Reza said.
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles told ABC7 that St. Stephen Martyr School in Monterey Park is facing the same situation.
The decision to shut down both schools came down to facing reality. But that doesn't make it easy for the families they serve.
"It's been so long, you figured it was going to stick around so much longer," parent Katherine Salas said.
"I just wish there was a way for the school to remain open so that we could all have the chance to bring our kids to a safe environment, somewhere where we feel very comfortable. We love all the teachers and sisters and so forth," parent Julie Luevano said. "If that was possible, that would be wonderful."