It’s sad that the loss of a well-known community institution comes down to numbers.

But numbers were what did in Driscoll Catholic High School last week. Officials announced that after more than 42 years of serving students in the area, the school will close its doors at the end of this academic year.

Here are some of the numbers that resulted in the decision made by Christian Brothers of the Midwest Province to cease operation.

The 2003-04 enrollment at the high school was 450; this year’s is 311. A decade ago, about 150 prospective freshmen took the test to attend Driscoll; this year, there were 60 students who took the entrance exam. And perhaps the most daunting figure: The school has a $500,000 deficit — with no taxpayer base to tap as public schools have.

The roughly 300 students who would have attended Driscoll next year and the 40 faculty members who now work there will have to find other places to go. How this will impact other private and public schools in the area isn’t known yet.

As sad as it is to witness, the economic realities for Roman Catholic schools have been harsh for many years. Some have gone co-ed to stay alive, while most have mounted aggressive fundraising campaigns to infuse new revenue. And despite their best efforts, a few schools have met the same fate as Driscoll will.

Such is life for private institutions at the mercy of the market. The market has spoken, and our community is the poorer for it.