Catholic World News
A frank appraisal of Catholic-school decline
March 22, 2024
» Continue to this story on National Catholic Register
CWN Editor's Note: “After six decades of decline, it’s time to get serious about a renewal of Catholic education,” writes Patrick Reilly of the Cardinal Newman Society in the National Catholic Register.
While recent reports have shown a rise in the number of students at parochial schools, Reilly argues that “the media and many in the Church seem to willfully disregard other ominous trends.” In fact, he reports:
- the total number of Catholic-school students in the US remained essentially unchanged, at 1.7 million;
- while the number of preschool students climbed, total enrollment otherwise declined in 2022-2023;
- in the lockdown year 2020-2021, enrollment dropped by 6.4% and 209 Catholic schools closed; enrollment has never returned to the pre-lockdown level;
- Another 170 Catholic schools have closed or merged since 2021; and
- The percentage of Catholic students attending Catholic schools has plummeted from 97% in 1970 to 72% today.
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