Hartford College in Daceyville will close at the end of 2026, less than four years after opening its doors, The Australian recently reported.
Parents were told on the eve of the school holidays that the board had decided closure was the best path forward. While no reason has been given publicly, the College relies on a loan from the Archdiocese of Sydney's Catholic Development Fund, and parents acknowledge it has been under financial strain.
The school opened with 22 students across Years 5 to 10 and fees ranging from $11,400 to $16,050, with the goal of eventually reaching 200 enrolments. This year, it has just 35. In April, Principal Ian Mejia told parents that plans to add Years 11 and 12 had been deferred following a review of enrolment projections.
Board open to proposals, but parents feel blindsided
Board chair Peter Foley, who is also the Archdiocese's director of finance, said students are guaranteed places within the Sydney Catholic Schools network. The board remains open to proposals to continue the school's classical education model.
"We recognise that you have entrusted your sons to Hartford College and the unique education in the Catholic liberal arts tradition ...this was not a decision reached quickly or lightly," The Australian quoted Foley as saying.
On Wednesday 30 September, parents launched a petition to keep the school open and said they would lobby the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney and the college's board to try to stop the closure. Families want the school to remain open through 2027 and are seeking time to build a turnaround plan covering enrolments, revenue, costs, fundraising and governance.
Parents argue they weren't given clear information or a chance to help, and that most schools had already filled their 2027 places. An anonymous parent of a Year 6 boy described the Hartford College closure process as "poorly handled."
"We love the school," the parent said. "Parents picked it because it was an alternative to mainstream schools. It's been poorly handled."
A parent-driven school from the start
The school's chairman and founder is Tim Mitchell, a father of six and solicitor at Bay Legal in Sydney. He started the college after renting a spare building from the Catholic Church. Rising fees have placed growing pressure on families considering non-systemic options in Sydney. Parents in the city's east have increasingly cited cost as a barrier to private school enrolment. This dynamic compounds the challenge for newly established schools yet to reach sustainable enrolment levels across NSW's independent sector.
"It's parent-driven," Mitchell said in 2023. "The idea was initiated in 2020 when people came together and thought it would be a much-needed initiative to have a school with a classical education."
Original reporting from The Australian