Venango Region Catholic School will merge two elementary schools as part of its reconfiguration, according to a letter shared with faculty, staff and school families Thursday.

St. Patrick Elementary School in Franklin will be merged with St. Stephen Elementary School in Oil City as of July 1. Seventh and eighth grades at St. Stephen Elementary School will be moved to the Venango Catholic High School campus in Oil City and developed as the Venango Catholic Middle School.

The board of directors said it made the changes "after extensive information gathering and analysis, consideration of stakeholder input, consultation with the Catholic Schools Office and prayerful reflection."

Demographic and economic challenges created a serious financial condition that led to the changes, according to the board.