How to terminate a matlab script called from python?

I am running a python script which calls a certain number of threads which execute a certain code and a matlab thread in which I make subprocess call to open matlab and run a matlab script. Now I need to exit the matlab script if all the other threads in the python script has finished executing.

As of now I am using files to solve this. I have a file which contains '1' value. The matlab script keeps reading this file and is running until value changes to '0'. I am writing '0' to the file once all other threads are executed in the pyhton script.

def main(numOfThreads):
   start_time = time.time()

   launch_matlab_process()
   launch_child_processes(numOfThreads)
   join_child_processes(numOfThreads)
   print_matlab_contents()

   #To close the matlab thread when all other threads are finished
   filename = os.path.join(CURRENT_DIR, "finished.txt")
   f = open(filename, 'w')  # script path
   f.write("0")
   f.close()


#Matlab Script
CURRENT_SCRIPT_DIRECTORY = mfilename('fullpath');
[filepath,name,ext] = fileparts(CURRENT_SCRIPT_DIRECTORY);
file = fullfile(filepath,'file.txt');
file1 = fullfile(filepath, 'finished.txt');

a = 1;
fileID = fopen(file, 'w');
fprintf(fileID,'Matlab File\n');

fileID1 = fopen(file1, 'r+');

%Keep checking file for value
while strcmp(fileread(file1), '1')
 fprintf(fileID,'Line Number: %d\n', a);
   a = a + 1;
 pause(1);
end
fprintf(fileID1, '%c', '1'); %Make file 1 again

fclose(fileID);
fclose(fileID1);
So is there a better way 

So is there a better way of doing this?