By JOSEPH FITZGERALD

BURRILLVILLE — It's official. Father Holland Catholic School in Pascoag has met its goal of enrolling 110 students next year in addition to 36 pre-kindergarten registrations. That means the school opens next year, Diocese officials announced Friday.

The Catholic school was under the gun to enroll 110 students in kindergarten through grade 8 for the 2008-09 academic year or face closure in June. School officials met that goal in addition to 36 pre-kindergarten registrations. The maximum enrollment of Father Holland is approximately 250 students.
Currently a member of the Greater Woonsocket Regional Catholic School (GWRCS) system, the Father Holland School will now be placed under the direction of St. Joseph Parish. “Faculty, parents and students will notice little to no change and the name will remain Father Holland,” diocese spokesman Michael Guilfoyle said Friday.
The school had until March 1 to meet the target figure of 110 for next year. That is the number of paid deposits needed to keep the Sayles Avenue school financially viable, diocese officials have said. The school apparently succeeded in making that deadline, but the diocese did not officially announce that fact until Friday pending a review of the enrollment information by the Most Rev. Thomas J. Tobin, bishop of the Diocese of Providence.
“We're calling it the little school that could,” said Father Holland School Principal Shawn A. Capron. “We're elated. Parents have been giving me the double thumbs up all week. Everyone's happy and excited for the future.”
Capron said the school just hit the 110 enrollment mark, but has received numerous inquiries from parents in the meantime, so that number could go up given that registrations for next year are still being accepted.
Now that it has reached its targeted enrollment for next year, the school will be converted into a parochial school by St. Joseph Parish — one of 18 GWCRS member parishes.
School operations would be unchanged except that all administrative, managerial, maintenance and financial functions would be taken over by the parish,. Right now the regional system administers operations at the school, which is leased from St. Joseph Parish.
Established in 1972, the regional system also includes Good Shepherd Catholic School, Monsignor Gadoury Primary School and Our Lady of Victories School, all in Woonsocket.
All four are accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.
Guilfoyle said a few weeks ago that Father Holland would remain a pre-kindergarten through grade 8 school employing the same teachers and staff with no disruption of classes.
“There will be administrative changes, but that's about it,” said Capron, adding the school will now operate on the principal-pastor model, in which she and the Rev. Clifford Cabral will make policy decisions with guidance and advice from a consultative board.
The only other thing that will change is student uniforms.
“We need to go out and get new uniforms to reflect our new identify,” Capron said.