Maria High School, the decades old, all-girls Catholic school on Chicago's southwest side, announced it will close at the end of the 2013 academic year.
The school has seen its enrollment plunge from its high of 1,400 in the 60s and 70s to about 200 today.
Plans are in the works to convert the building at 6727 S. California into a coeducational public charter school for grades K through 9, beginning in the fall of next year, according to the Sun-Times.
The school would be called Catalyst-Maria, named for the charter school chain called Catalyst Charter Schools Network.
At the end of that academic year, in the spring of 2013, Maria High School would cease to exist, and the charter school would introduce grades 10 to 12. Maria High School students can apply to the new school.
The plan still must be approved by Chicago Public School officials.
The announcement of the school's closure comes as the school marks its centennial, having opened its doors in 1911.
