Jewish boys' and girls' high schools to close at the end of the school year

Yeshivat Rambam to continue its elementary and middle school programs

Yeshivat Rambam has announced plans to close its two small Jewish high schools at the end of the school year.

"It has become apparent that Yeshivat Rambam cannot responsibly continue to financially sustain its current structure," school President Abba David Poliakoff announced in a letter to parents Friday. "The board has decided that there is no alternative but to close Rambam's high school division at the end of the 2011 academic year."

Rambam has 33 students in its girls' high school, at 6300 Park Heights Avenue, and 63in its separate boys' high school, at 5700 Park Heights Avenue, Poliakoff said

Total enrollment at Yeshivat Rambam, which also has elementary and middle school programs, is about 350. The elementary and middle schools would continue, Poliakoff's letter said.

Poliakoff declined to comment but provided a copy of his letter to The Sun.

About 40 percent of Baltimore-area Jewish children attend a religious day school, the highest percentage in the nation, said Michael Hoffman, senior vice president for community planning and allocations for The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore.

"The challenges with the school have been going on for a while," Hoffman said.

Current seniors will be able to graduate with full academic credentials, and school officials are finalizing plans to allow juniors to undertake additional work that will allow them to graduate this year, Poliakoff's letter said.