Former Saint Michael School Principal Ryan Klein is celebrating the school’s recognition as the 2026 Official Community Choice Award winner for Best Private School in the SouthCoast, while expressing disappointment over what he describes as a lack of recognition from current school leadership and the Diocese.
In a heartfelt message to the Saint Michael School community and his former students, Klein reflected on what he called an “incredibly long, stressful, and heartbreaking summer,” but said he wanted the focus to remain on the accomplishments of the students and staff.
“Last night, Saint Michael School was named the 2026 Official Community Choice Award winner for Best Private School in the SouthCoast,” Klein wrote. “That is an incredible accomplishment.”
Klein said the award belongs primarily to the students who worked throughout the past school year, as well as the faculty and staff who supported them.
“This recognition belongs first and foremost to my students,” he wrote. “They showed up every day, worked hard, learned, grew, and continued to give their very best.”
He also credited the staff members who, in his words, “truly cared, who showed up, who gave their all, and who believed in what this school and these children could accomplish.”
According to Klein, the 2025-26 school year was marked by significant gains for Saint Michael, including what he described as record growth, record enrollment and record test scores.
“This past year was remarkable,” Klein wrote. “Record growth. Record enrollment. Record test scores. Incredible accomplishments.”
The recognition, he noted, placed Saint Michael above other private schools in the SouthCoast.
“That doesn’t happen by accident,” Klein wrote. “It happened because of the people who cared enough to make it happen.”
But Klein’s celebration of the award was accompanied by pointed criticism of the school’s current leadership.
He said that despite the significance of the honor, neither current school leadership nor a representative of the Diocese was present to accept the award.
“And yet last night, when the school was being recognized for this incredible achievement, there was no one from the current school leadership and no diocesan representative there to accept the award on behalf of Saint Michael School,” Klein wrote.
“That is incredibly difficult to wrap my head around,” he continued. “After everything this school accomplished, how could something this meaningful go uncelebrated?”
Klein’s comments come amid a tumultuous summer for the school and its community. Without detailing every issue he said had occurred, he referenced what he characterized as disappointment, misinformation and decisions made “behind the scenes.”
“The silence surrounding so much of what has happened this summer has been painful enough,” Klein wrote. “But seeing an accomplishment like this seemingly overlooked is another reminder of just how much has been lost.”
Despite those frustrations, Klein said he did not want the controversy to diminish what students and staff accomplished during the school year.
“Still, I refuse to let that overshadow what was accomplished,” he wrote. “Because no decision, no narrative, no closed-door conversation, and no amount of silence can erase the success that we achieved.”
He emphasized that the school’s accomplishments remain measurable and meaningful regardless of the changes that have taken place.
“The numbers don’t lie. The accomplishments don’t disappear. And the memories these children made cannot be taken away,” Klein wrote.
Klein concluded by directing the recognition back toward the students and the people who supported them.
“To the students of Saint Michael School; this is yours,” he wrote.
He also thanked those who supported his family during the difficult period, saying he would not forget those who “saw the injustice” and chose to stand by him.
“This summer has changed so much,” Klein wrote. “But it cannot change what Saint Michael School has accomplished. It cannot erase the pride I felt watching these children succeed. And it certainly cannot take away this award.”
He ended with a message of congratulations to the school and its students:
“Congratulations, Saint Michael School. You earned it. And you deserve to be celebrated.”
