Christian School Closes Its Doors

Southern California Christian School in Orange has closed its doors for the upcoming school year because of low enrollment, an official said Monday.

The junior and senior high school, in existence for 24 years, is a nondenominational school that relies for funding on annual tuition of $5,500 per student and on fund-raisers. Officials said an enrollment of at least 90 students was needed to continue operating; as of last week, only 59 had enrolled.

“It wasn’t a total surprise,” said Principal Tom Trueblood, who has been at the school for 15 years. “It’s been very difficult. Some of us have our lifeblood in here. It’s a real heartbreaker for everyone.”

Trueblood said mailings and refund checks were sent Friday. On Monday, he and his staff spent the day fielding phone calls and helping students get the necessary items needed to transfer to other campuses.

“They won’t have any difficulty finding new schools,” Trueblood said. “But they might not get their first choice. The students and parents have really been supportive, sympathetic and understanding during this.”