The seventies and eighties would prove to be difficult years for the school. Father Rafferty, who became pastor of the parish in 1974, wrote "It was a monumental struggle to keep the school open." This was an issue common to area Catholic schools at the time. When the grade school of Immaculate Conception Parish in Highland Park was closed in 1978, its 60 students were bussed to Sacred Heart. In April 1978, the first Nite Lites fundraiser was held for the school. By 1986, school population had sunk to 114 students, the lowest number since 1943, in part due to a rapid turnover in principals at the time and the reputation of local public schools.
