Enrolment in Catholic schools in the United States rose 3.8 per cent from the previous academic year, rebounding from a sharp drop caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Catholic education officials reported Monday.
The National Catholic Educational Association said nationwide enrolment increased by 62,000 to about 1.68 million students, marking the first increase in two decades and the largest jump it has recorded in at least five decades.
Students enter the first new Catholic school built in Baltimore in roughly 60 years on Monday, 30th August, 2021, named after Mother Mary Lange, who started a Catholic school for Black children in 1828 – the first US Catholic school for African-American youth. Enrolment in Roman Catholic schools in the United States rose 3.8 per cent from the previous academic year, rebounding from a sharp drop caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Catholic education officials reported on Monday, 14th February. PICTURE: AP Photo/David McFadden.
“Enrolment at all types of schools – public, charter and private – were impacted last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Catholic schools had a decline in enrolment of 6.4 per cent from 2019-2020 to 2020-2021,” the NCEA said about the largest single year decline in the 50 years since it has collected data.
“Catholic schools’ dedication in safely opening classrooms and supporting their communities’ needs last year is demonstrated in the 3.8 per cent increase in enrolment.”
The annual report said that Catholic school students, teachers and administrators were optimistic when schools returned to in-person classes this fall as many did during the previous school year. But they continue to face challenges as school systems across the nation try to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Financial and enrolment problems were worsened by the pandemic and forced the permanent closure of many Catholic schools nationwide. After a wave of closures, there are now 5,938 Catholic schools in the United States, compared with more than 11,000 in 1970.
John Reyes, the NCEA’s executive director for operational vitality, said last year the closures disproportionately impacted urban communities where significant numbers of Black children, including many from non-Catholic families, attended Catholic schools.
The latest report said over the last two years, the largest dioceses have been losing enrolment at more than double the rate of other dioceses.
“As the population in the United States shifts away from major cities, the largest dioceses may face more school closures and consolidation,” the report said. “Dioceses will need to determine how they can continue to serve underserved communities in their cities as these changes occur.”
Elementary and middle schools were harder hit between the 2019-2020 and the 2020-2021 school year by the pandemic with a collective enrolment decline of 8.1 per cent, compared with a 2.5 per cent decline for secondary schools. Pre-kindergarten programs saw the steepest drop, 26.6 per cent.
This year, Catholic elementary schools had a 5.8 per cent increase in enrolment; secondary schools had a slight drop of 0.4 per cent.
“Increases in enrolment at the primary grade levels is a positive sign for long-term secondary school viability, even if there was a slight decline this year,” the report said.
The report also said that pre-kindergarten enrolment increased by 33.5 per cent.
“Enrolment of the youngest learners in Catholic schools was a driver of the overall Catholic elementary school increase. Almost every state had an increase in pre-kindergarten enrolment…” Top increases were recorded in Utah (137 per cent, 284 students) and California (134 per cent, 6,187 students).
The nationwide gain of 62,000 students to Catholic schools can be mostly attributed to pre-kindergarten related enrolment, the report said. But it is still 2.7 per cent lower than 2019-2020.
“It is promising that early childhood students have returned to Catholic schools but troubling that enrolment is still lower than pre-pandemic levels,” it said.
“Catholic schools innovated throughout the last two years to meet the needs of their communities,” the report said. “They need to continue to adapt to those needs and use the momentum to retain students and recruit new students in the upcoming years to stabilize or continue to increase enrolment.”
