Rice High School was aprivate,Catholic, college preparatoryhigh school in theHarlem neighborhood of New York City, United States. It is located within theArchdiocese of New York. The school closed in 2011 due to financial difficulties.
Rice High School was established in 1938 in Central Harlem by theCongregation of Christian Brothers, who continued to fund the school through much of its existence.[1] Named for Irish missionary and educator Edmund Rice,[2] it was located at 124th Street and Lenox Avenue and was known as a basketball powerhouse producing alumni that includedKemba Walker.[3] The school's basketball team won the CHSAA championship in 1994 with a roster that includedFelipe López.[4]
The school was the subject of a 2008 book by Patrick McCloskey,The Street Stops Here: A Year at a Catholic High School in Harlem.
Amid declining enrollment, reduced endowment and increasing operational costs, the school made the decision to close in 2011 after they could not raise the needed funds to move to a cheaper building.[2][1] It held its final graduation ceremony on May 27, 2011 and vacated the building on June 30 of that same year.[3][5]
As of August 2021, a group of alumni are working to reopen the school, although there is no clear timeline for this.[6]
