Diocesan Resources
Catholic School Research and Studies (Updated 2018)
Catholic School Fact Sheet Handout, updated January 2018
U.S. Catholic school enrollment reached its peak during the early 1960s when there were more than 5.2 million students in almost thirteen thousand schools across the nation. The 1970s and 1980s saw a steep decline in both the number of schools and students. By 1990, there were approximately 2.5 million students in 8,719 schools. From the mid 1990s though 2000, there was a steady enrollment increase (1.3%) despite continued closings of schools.
- Catholic schools are good for the republic
- Catholic Schools help students achieve academically
- Catholic schools unlock the intellectual potential of the young people they serve while forming them for a personal and living encounter with Jesus Christ
- The Catholic school emphasis on lived Christian community stimulates parental engagement
- Catholic schools generate social cohesion and preserve civic order in the local community
- Catholic schools are sacred places helping to build a better society