Independent Jewish day school in Connecticut to close, citing financial issues

Carmel Academy known for its program for special needs students; donor will provide free transportation to new school

By Marcy Oster 7 February 2020, 2:28 pm

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Carmel Academy in Greenwich, Connecticut will close after the current school year. (Facebook via JTA)

JTA — Carmel Academy, an independent Jewish day school in Greenwich, Connecticut, will close at the end of this school term, citing the “current realities of finances and enrollment.”

The school announced on Tuesday that it would join the Leffell School, a Jewish independent school serving about 740 students on two campuses in Westchester County, New York, at the start of the next academic year, according to a Carmel statement.

Carmel was founded 22 years ago by 20 families seeking to create a Jewish day school for Jewish students from all backgrounds. It now has about 250 students. It is known for its PALS (Providing Alternative Learning Strategies) program for students with special needs. The PALS program will continue under the auspices of Leffell.

In its announcement, the academy said that an anonymous Leffell School donor will allow the merged school to provide free transportation to families coming from Connecticut for the 2020-21 academic year. Tuition assistance also will remain the same for the new term.

“We do not want cost — either tuition or transportation — to be an obstacle to enrollment for any family,” the statement said.