August 8, 2023
75 More Catholic Schools Nationwide Say They Are Shutting Down
https://www.theepochtimes.com/article/75-more-catholic-schools-nationwide-say-they-are-shutting-down-5444274?src_src=partner&src_cmp=ZeroHedge
At least 75 more Catholic schools across the nation have announced they are closing their doors for good, with many breaking the news to families in the past few weeks.
Most of the closures have been in major cities such as Philadelphia, Boston, and Cincinnati.
In New York City alone, the Catholic Archdiocese of New York closed 12 schools as of the end of the academic year, laying the blame on "shifting demographics and lower enrollment, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic."
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The shutdown of Catholic schools is not new. Hundreds of schools have closed down nationwide over the years.
Catholic groups have long blamed it in part on "vanishing nuns," which translated into significantly higher teacher and administration fees and, thus, higher tuition and, consequently, a drop in enrollment.
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St. Mark Catholic School and the Good Shepherd Catholic School, both in St. Louis, also recently announced they were shutting their doors, as did the Wauwatosa Catholic School in Wisconsin.
Earlier this month, St. Joseph Catholic School in Cincinnati told parents it was closing, and last week, the Holy Family School in Kentucky told families it would close because of a shortage of teachers.
1.4% of total nationwide. And I think Catholic school enrollment is up. Or it was last year. First time it increased in decades.
Catholic elementary my children went to will have it's largest enrollment since 2010. Yes, one of the local elementary schools is closing. It has a rad trad priest in a rich liberal enclave. The surrounding public school district is elite. The math on that one is pretty straightforward.
Quote from: Sir Lawrence on August 09, 2023, 06:17:29 PM
1.4% of total nationwide. And I think Catholic school enrollment is up. Or it was last year. First time it increased in decades.
I believe a lot of this was driven by Catholic schools fully reopening sooner - and with less mitigations - than many public school districts at the tail end of the pandemic.
It'll be interesting to see if it sticks.
Demographics are hard to manage.
Quote from: Pakuni on August 09, 2023, 06:39:35 PM
I believe a lot of this was driven by Catholic schools fully reopening sooner - and with less mitigations - than many public school districts at the tail end of the pandemic.
It'll be interesting to see if it sticks.
The Catholic schools I'm familiar with reopened well before the "tail end of the pandemic". Many were only closed for a couple of months.
Quote from: Lennys Tap on August 09, 2023, 10:03:37 PM
The Catholic schools I'm familiar with reopened well before the "tail end of the pandemic". Many were only closed for a couple of months.
Cool.
Quote from: Pakuni on August 09, 2023, 10:29:13 PM
Cool.
The Public school parents and their kids who moved to get in classroom schooling agree.
There were too many Catholic schools.
Consider Milwaukee's southside:
St Augustine's - Homer & Howell
IC - KK & Logan
St. Greg's - 6th & Oklahoma
St. Veronica's - Whitnall & Norwich
All those are within 2 miles of each other.
The market is right sizing.
Quote from: Lennys Tap on August 09, 2023, 10:40:21 PM
The Public school parents and their kids who moved to get in classroom schooling agree.
Keep fighting those 2021 battles.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/amp/news/253607/us-catholic-school-growth-slows-after-two-years-of-notable-increases-data-show