Jacksonville’s Mandarin High School has cancelled its senior prom this year after just 44 out of almost 600 seniors purchased tickets during two weeks of online sales.
In an email to seniors and their families, Mandarin High School Principal Sara Bravo said the school would have had to sell 250 tickets to fund the event.
“I am deeply sorry for the small number of students who wished to attend and truly hope they are able to enjoy the other events planned such as Senior Kickball, Sunrise and Sunset Celebrations, Senior Week, Senior Breakfast and of course, the long-awaited commencement ceremony,” Bravo said in the email.
The principal said the year has not allowed the fundraising and budget necessary to hold such an expensive event. Students who did purchase tickets will be fully refunded.
A spokesperson for Duval County Public Schools said she was not immediately aware of any other county schools that had cancelled their proms.
Contact Sydney Boles at sboles@wjct.org, or on Twitter at @sydneyboles.