Schools that were meant to help pregnant students struggling in traditional settings are failing, according to the Department of Education.

Schools Chancellor Joel Klein made the announcement Thursday, saying the city's four "P-schools" will close next year. According to the DOE, attendance is poor and less than 10 percent of students are passing regents exams.

The move is part of a reorganization of alternative, vocational and dropout programs. For pregnant students, the DOE now favors smaller schools where teenage mothers can drop their children off at in-house day care centers and mix with a traditional student body.

"It helps me out as a mother a lot because ... without them I would be like any other mother: a dropout at home," student Marilyn Felipe said of the change.

To help mothers navigate the program shift, the DOE will set up referral service centers in each borough.