Wenham all-girls prep school closes its doors amid low enrollment

Wenham’s all-girls preparatory high school announced its closure due to dwindling enrollment and low donations.

On June 13, families received a letter from the Academy at Penguin Hall informing them of the closure, which would take effect right away. According to a statement from the school, in an effort to increase enrollment, it undertook several efforts to find new donors, start more fundraisers, and collaborate with existing and possible investors.

“The Academy ran out of options to secure the financial resources to start and finish the next school year,” said board of trustees chairman George Balich in the statement, “so this decision was made now.”

According to the statement, Penguin Hall, which was established in 2016, had its highest enrollment in the 2020–2021 school year, with 150 kids enrolling before the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, enrollment has decreased, resulting in a significant loss to the school’s operational budget.

Following the pandemic’s peak, the school observed an increase in family participation and enrollment, President Molly Martins told Boston.com in 2023. Approximately 120 students were enrolled at Penguin Hall at that time.

The non-profit school has continuously reported a negative net income since its formation, according to open IRS filings. It had a negative balance of more than $6.5 million in its most recent filing.

The boarding and day school follows in the footsteps of other all-girls institutions that have closed recently, such as Newton’s Mount Alvernia High School in 2023, Wakefield’s Our Lady of Nazareth Academy in 2009, and Dorchester’s Elizabeth Seton Academy in 2016.

According to a 2024 Boston Globe article, attendance in charter and vocational schools increased while private school enrollment in Massachusetts decreased over the previous 40 years.

According to state data, Massachusetts has 15 all-girls high schools, the majority of which have experienced steady enrollment figures since the pandemic. Examples of these include the Dana Hall School in Wellesley and Stoneleigh-Burnham School in Greenfield. Since 2015, attendance at the Winsor School in Boston’s Longwood Medical Area has risen annually on average.