Rev. George Koeune, pastor of Our Lady of the Lakes Parish and St. Bede School in Ingleside, Ill. announced that St. Bede School will be closing at the end of this school year due to low registration for next school year. As of March 19, 119 students had registered for next year whereas the parish and school had set an enrollment target of 182. The plight of St. Bede School became widely known earlier this winter when the parish and school launched a fundraising campaign to keep the school open. Over $500,000 was raised through that campaign but, in the end, not enough students enrolled to make the school viable. Koeune and the parish finance council met the evening of March 19 and agreed that the appropriate action was to close the school. Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, accepted their recommendation. St. Bede School is in Ingleside, Ill. in rural Lake County. It serves a mix of white and Hispanic families and its current enrollment is 182. Families who receive an Invest in Kids scholarship for students to attend a nonpublic school must meet income eligibility requirements.