Roycemore School, the private preK-12 institution that told families in June it had been saved from financial collapse, will not open for the 2026-27 school year. The Board of Trustees announced the closure in a letter to families on Wednesday, July 15, reversing course and leaving enrolled students to find new schools before fall.

The board cited a "significant and unexpected decline in confirmed student enrollment" after its June announcement that the school would remain open. Despite efforts to retain families and recruit new ones, enrollment dropped below the level needed to operate, according to the board's letter.

"They just came to realize that they couldn't offer the Roycemore that everybody knows and guarantee that we could complete a school year," Interim Head of School Paul Druzinsky told Pioneer Press on July 15.

A turbulent spring

Roycemore's final months were marked by leadership upheaval. Former head of school Christopher English, who had served since 2022, was removed by board members in April 2026. Interim Head Morgan Busbey stepped in briefly before Druzinsky arrived from Wichita, Kansas, on Tuesday, July 1. Former Board Chair Anthony Chambers and Director of Finance & Operations Michael Youkim both resigned in May.

An unidentified donor provided an eleventh-hour financial reprieve that allowed the school to finish the 2025-26 year. But the grant came with conditions: as of Monday, April 27, the school had 177 signed tuition contracts, and the donor required at least 165 be retained. Board member Kevin Foote told parents on a May Zoom call that families also needed to pay at least half their July 1 tuition bill by Sunday, May 25, to demonstrate commitment.

Those conditions, combined with the possibility of a building sale and a potential school merger, did not stabilize enrollment enough to continue.

What families need to know

The board said it is establishing a process to transfer student transcripts, report cards, and other records to new schools. Families who already submitted tuition payments for 2026-27 will receive communications from the school's financial and legal advisors about reimbursement, though no specific timeline has been given.

Druzinsky said area schools have offered support and possible enrollment pathways for displaced families, and that administrators are actively helping those who have not yet found a new school.

Community reaction

Jessica Risker, a Roycemore parent, told Pioneer Press the family is heartbroken. "Roycemore was extraordinary — a school that saw and supported our child in ways that are genuinely hard to find," she said.

Tilden Katz, a longtime Evanston resident and neighbor of the campus who volunteered with the school's communications, called Roycemore "the best of what Evanston can be."

Druzinsky acknowledged that reopening after this year is unlikely. "There's so many steps you have to take to close the school that are irreversible," he said, though he added he remains "a firm believer in hope."

The school's closure ends 111 years of continuous operation in Evanston. No date has been set for the board's next communication to families about tuition reimbursement.