Leonard Hall Junior Naval Academy closed in January after falling enrollment and longstanding repair needs, commissioner says

An unnamed St. Mary's County commissioner said Leonard Hall Junior Naval Academy closed in January after enrollment fell to eight students and the school could not complete building repairs county officials had identified as necessary as far back as 2015.

The commissioner said the county had tried to help the school for years and had kept its rent "extremely low," and disputed social media claims that the county abruptly "pulled the rug" from the school. "They were down to 8 students," the commissioner said. "Since 2015, they had known about repairs that were necessary to do that impacted potentially safety of that building. And the key was is they just weren't in a position to do it."

The commissioner praised the academy's board chair, identified in the remarks as Miss Millen, saying she "did a wonderful job doing her part." He also acknowledged public confusion after posts on Facebook about the closure and said many people asked what had happened.

The remarks included memories of two local residents who recently died, but the substantive policy point was the school’s closure and the factors the commissioner cited: very low enrollment and long-standing repair needs. The commissioner noted that the school had provided positive outcomes for students in the past but said he did not understand why the academy had not drawn waiting lists, as parochial schools in the area have.

No formal action or vote on the academy was recorded in the remarks. The commissioner did not specify next steps for county involvement, whether the county would pursue alternate uses for the building or whether any formal oversight or inspections would be required before reuse. He concluded, "I'm sorry that it had to close. Things will move on and we will move on."