On the eve of Purim, the Epstein Hillel School announced it would remain open “for the foreseeable future,” after a fundraising effort raised almost $3 million.

The school’s board of directors had previously said that if they were not able to raise $3 million during a fundraising campaign, the more than 70-year-old school would close.

Even with a successful campaign, the school said it would carry on without a middle school program. In a change of plans, the school is piloting a combined classroom of fifth and sixth graders for the 2026-27 school year.

On Sunday, the board announced to families that the school would remain open. It made the announcement three days earlier than planned.

“We voted earlier today, and we just couldn’t wait until Wednesday to share the news with our school community,” wrote the 16-member board in an email.

In December, the school announced its “tenuous financial position,” setting a mid-February goal of closing an ambitious $3 million fundraising campaign to keep the school sustainable over the next several years. It then pushed that date ahead to March 4 as it sought to close some fundraising commitments.

Over several weeks, the school nearly reached its $3 million goal with donors contributing $2.6 million, the board said.

“Taken together, these commitments have allowed the board to vote on a plan to keep EHS open with a line of sight toward long-term sustainability,” the board said.

“We share in celebrating this fantastic news alongside Epstein Hillel’s staff, students, parents, alumni, and broader community members,” said Combined Jewish Philanthropies President and CEO Marc Baker in an email. “Greater Boston’s Jewish community has stepped up in a significant way to ensure a high-quality Jewish education remains available to students on the North Shore and across Greater Boston. I’m grateful to the EHS leadership and to my CJP colleagues who have provided support and resources throughout this process. This is a great outcome.”

“This is truly a Shehecheyanu moment for our school,” said Head of School Amy Gold in an email. Gold began her tenure at the school, formerly known as Cohen Hillel Academy, in 2015.

“I am so grateful for how the community has come together to support the only Jewish day school on the North Shore. EHS is a gem where children have a strong sense of belonging, and they are so happy to come to school each day to learn and experience the joy and excellence that is EHS.”

“I am so proud to be part of the EHS community – a group of lay leaders, staff, parents, and partners who have worked with tireless determination to ensure the school’s future,” Board of Directors Chair Michele Cohen said in an email.

“While, we still have much work ahead of us, the overwhelming support from the North Shore Jewish community, the Greater Boston Jewish community, and even beyond – as our Step Up to the Moment campaign reached far and wide – affirmed what I have always believed: Jewish day school education is an essential pillar of a strong and vibrant Jewish community.”

The initial plan was for a pre-kindergarten through fifth grade model starting in the fall, but those plans have changed.

Gold said in an email next year the school will be pre-kindergarten through Grade 6, with the oldest class being a combined fifth-and-sixth-grade classroom with four students in Grade 6 and four in Grade 5.

“These two classes already do a lot together this year, and we decided to offer this pilot as we feel it is in the best interest academically and socially for everyone. Parents from both classes are very happy about this opportunity,” Gold said.

The combined classroom of fifth and sixth graders is a pilot for the upcoming academic year, and if successful, the school would continue it on a year-by-year basis based on family interest.

The school enrolls 84 students pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. This includes 22 in Grades 6 through 8. As of this writing, Gold said the school expects enrollment in the fall to be 61 students. School officials had earlier set a benchmark of 57 students for a pre-K through fifth grade school.

The board said many families took part in frank and difficult conversations about what it would take to sustain a Jewish day school here. The board also said families made the decision to return in the fall “at a meaningful financial sacrifice and to take a more active role in sustaining the school.”

The way forward, which will not be easy, requires the retention of existing students, enrollment of new students, sustained tuition increases, and significant community fundraising and volunteer engagement, the board said.

The board said 1,200 donors contributed approximately $2.6 million toward the school’s $3 million goal. That included numerous significant gifts from longstanding and new supporters.

The school received “an extraordinary leadership pledge” of $500,000 from Evan Paul, class of 2003. The school said it hoped Paul’s pledge would inspire others to help the school reach its goal. Θ