Two Catholic schools in Great Falls, Montana, closed within months of each other after enrollment plummeted by 67 students amid a contentious rebranding effort, according to an investigation published Oct. 12 by Montana Free Press. The closures followed more than a year of turmoil at the three-school system, where parents and teachers described mounting frustration over poor communication and heavy-handed policy changes imposed by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Great Falls-Billings. At St. Patrick's Academy High School, just 18 students were expected to return for fall 2026 after 70 had enrolled the previous semester.

The enrollment crisis hit hardest at St. Patrick's Academy East, the former Holy Spirit school, which lost 67 students during the 2025-2026 academic year and closed in April 2026. The high school faced a similar collapse: enrollment fell from 70 students in fall 2025 to just 18 expected returnees by August 2026. More than half of the high school's 11 faculty members resigned in May 2026, with additional staff departures following at year's end, including both the principal and administrative dean. On Aug. 20, 2026, Bishop Jeff Fleming announced at a back-to-school event that the high school would not open for the year, leaving families less than a week to find alternative schooling.

The diocese launched a major rebranding in summer 2025 that unified three established schools under the St. Patrick's Academy name, replacing decades-old identities including Great Falls Central Catholic High. But the rollout was uneven and poorly funded, according to interviews with more than a dozen former faculty, staff, and parents. Sean Donnelly, who served as high school principal and later dean from 2023 to June 2026, told Montana Free Press that "almost immediately, when the rebrand was underway, we were told we were under austerity measures" limiting purchases to essentials. Parents described strict enforcement of the new branding, with students told they couldn't wear clothing bearing the old Central Mustangs name. The diocese also introduced daily required Mass services, up from once weekly, and switched to a four-day school week that some families viewed as a 20% reduction in education for the same tuition.

Parents and teachers told Montana Free Press that diocesan micromanagement disrupted what had been a close-knit Catholic community and drove families away. The diocese added a second administrator at the high school in January 2026, splitting leadership duties and doubling administrative costs even as enrollment declined. Teachers faced shifting pay periods and restricted access to funds for longstanding programs, including a Christmas meal donation initiative. Aubrey Hiller-Rearden, chief operating officer of the diocese, acknowledged that families "felt that they were left out of the process" but defended the changes as part of a vision discussed for 50 years. She said the diocese hired a director for Catholic education to plan reopening the high school at some future date, maintaining that "the vision is one K-12 system campus for Catholic education in Great Falls."