UNDATED (AP) -- Two Catholic elementary schools are closing in Wood County.

The Wisconsin Rapids Area Catholic System has decided to close Sacred Heart Elementary in Nekoosa and Saint Philip in Rudolph.

Parents of the 75 students affected will decide whether to send their children to local public schools or bus them to Wisconsin Rapids.

System President Carol Olson says the closures come after 18 months of study on the direction of the elementary schools. Declining enrollment has made it difficult to sustain all the schools.

System officials decided what's best for the future is to close the outlying elementary schools.

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