Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) informed parents in early September that St Philip's School would close after a review into its long-term sustainability. A letter signed by principal Michelle Worcester and MACS regional general manager Marwin Austerberry said the school was "not sustainable in its current form" due to enrolments having been in "steady decline for many years." The letter said enrolments remained "critically low at only 33 students for 2026," despite recent interest from families for the 2027 prep intake.
Several parents told the ABC they chose the school because of the support it provided to students with learning difficulties and neurodivergence, and said suitable alternative schools were hard to find. Anthony Navaretti, whose two sons attend St Philip's, said the closure announcement came out of the blue. "There was no communication that this might be anywhere near a possibility," he said. "They haven't asked for any fundraising or raise concerns or given any sort of deadlines, it just kind of came out of the blue."
Mr Navaretti said his eldest son, who lives with autism, had been able to attend the same school as his brother because of the support on offer, but the closure meant the two boys may need to split up. "There's not a lot of time to find a school. I know one school near us said their enrolments were already full," he said.
Angi Hill, whose son has been enrolled at the school since prep, said her son's challenges would have made attending a mainstream school very difficult. "I can only speak for my own family, my son was very upset, there were tears," she said. "So there's a lot of processing to do, obviously for ourselves as parents, but also for the children as well." While she understood the financial aspect of the closure, Ms Hill said the school meant more to the community than raw numbers suggested.
MACS said neighbouring Catholic schools would have sufficient capacity for displaced students and that it would support families with the transition process.