Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School, a south Columbus institution for more than 50 years, is facing closure at the end of the current school term.

"There is a real risk. A piece of this town's history may be going away," Victor Clover, the school's chairman of the board, said Monday, adding that a final decision would likely come by early February.

The board plans to meet with parents this week.

Our Lady of Lourdes on Torch Hill Road opened its doors in 1960. The enrollment at the school which instructs students in grades Pre K through the eighth grade, has dropped from 114 students to 74.