Soundview Preparatory School in Yorktown, a school with a student body of 64, closed on Friday.

The decision to close the school was largely based on the inability to raise the $150,000 to keep it open.

Students of the private school and their parents were notified of the decision over email. Five dozen students are now in need of a new school.

Teachers are saying that they feel like a rug has been pulled from underneath them. English teacher Bill Mentz, who worked for Soundview Preparatory School for 16 years, returned to the school on Monday to clean out his classroom, says that he is still trying to process losing the job he loves.

“I’m numb," said teacher Bill Mentz. "I'm just numb about the whole thing. It came as a shock. Nothing prepared us for this. And this school has such a great reputation. It helped so many kids that might fall through the cracks in a public school. I loved my work here, it was awesome.”

There has been no word yet on what will happen to the students or whether a portion of their $40,000 yearly tuition will be refunded. News 12 did ask the school’s headmaster, Tom Curley, about any refunds and he said any comment from the school should come from the school’s board of trustees. 

School officials are, however, working with parents to make sure the seniors will meet their graduation requirements and receive college recommendation letters. Soundview Preparatory School released the following statement late Monday afternoon: "This announcement is no small decision, knowing that students must now find new schools and faculty and staff need to find new employment. The school is committed to assisting families, teachers and staff with the transition." 

The school, which has been open since 1989, prided itself for its small class sizes and “hands on education.”

Town Supervisor Matt Slater called the closure a “tremendous loss for the community.”