The city's oldest Catholic elementary school is closing down.

The superintendent of schools for the New York Archdiocese sent letters to parents of students at Saint Patrick's Old Cathedral School in Manhattan Tuesday, informing them that it is closing at the end of the current academic year.

The building in Little Italy will revert to St. Patrick's Parish.

Superintendent Timothy McNiff called it a difficult decision, but said persistent low enrollment in recent years made it difficult to upgrade the resources needed for the school.

He said all children enrolled in the school will be welcomed into other nearby Catholic schools.

"I also feel bad that it's going to be shut down because it's my first year here and I wasn't able to experience lots of things," said one student.

"That's crazy because we've been in this school since pre-K and it's like we're all together.... I don't think it should close down," said another.

"I chose this school because it was a good school, and having a new principal and the enrollment going up each year, things were getting positive," said a parent of a student. "It's been coming a long way, it's been a long road. And I think it's not fair that they're closing. You know schools in different neighborhoods, you're not going to have the same kids."

The archdiocese also announced St. James School will merge with St. Joseph School in September.

The new school will move into the current St. Joseph building on Monroe Street in Chinatown, and keep the St. Joseph name.

The archdiocese says the merger will strengthen enrollment and enable it to better use its resources.

Meanwhile, plans are also in the works to move Transfiguration School into the building that currently houses St. James.

The archdiocese says Transfiguration is too large for its current building on Mott Street.