St. Peter’s enrollment has dropped to just 109 students this school year from 321 students in 2000.

The school, which is two blocks off of the busy, shop-filled Main Street, has had fewer families to draw from for enrollment as the area around it became increasingly commercialized. In addition to the businesses on Main Street, a Schnucks moved in nearby and Lindenwood University has been expanding, said Rich Wikiera, a parent who has been part of the school board.

St. Peter already has the smallest parish boundary in the St. Charles Deanery and has had no new housing in more than 60 years, according to research compiled for the recommendation to close the school. Just 11 of its school families live within the parish boundaries.

The school is also costly to operate: The school building, which was constructed in 1924, will require $583,000 over the next five years for maintenance.

Many of the school parents are left feeling bitter by the decision to close the school, Wikiera said.

“We didn’t know we were in that kind of critical point until basically the point of no return, where we couldn’t do anything about it,” Wikiera said.