Schools
Final Class: Private School In Framingham To Shut Down After Decades
The religious school opened its doors in 2003, but says its operating model is "no longer sustainable."
FRAMINGHAM, MA — Spring classes at MetroWest Jewish Day School will likely be poignant for its 20 or so students, as the North Framingham institution prepares to close down after more than two decades of teaching.
MetroWest will shutter at the end of the academic year due to declining enrollment and other factors, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. The school offers private religious education to students from kindergarten through eighth grade.
The nonprofit educator reported revenue of $1.32 million last year, according to tax records, but was in the red by more than $114,000.
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In a website letter, school leaders said, “We have concluded that our model of highly individualized Jewish day school education is no longer sustainable in the Metrowest area of Boston.”
Since its founding in 1999 by Steven and Renee Finn and its first classes in 2003, MWJDS has provided “deeply personalized Jewish education” to more than 300 students, the letter said.
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They’ve come from over 30 communities, from Jamaica Plain to Worcester. Some students have traveled dozens of miles each day between home and their Framingham classrooms.
MetroWest employs 15 teachers and staff, according to its website.
Next steps
It's not clear where students or faculty may go next. The school, on Pamela Road at Temple Beth Sholom, is near some of Framingham's public classrooms — the Dunning and King elementary schools and the Walsh Middle School.
Steven Finn, the MWJDS board chair, and his wife Renee, have pledged scholarship support for current students to continue their Jewish education elsewhere through eighth grade.
The couple are former residents of Framingham and now reside in Natick.
Meanwhile, MetroWest Jewish Day School is planning to celebrate its legacy at a gala on April 26.
To read more about the closure, visit the Jewish Telegraphic Agency’s story.
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