Catholic Schools are…

A great gift to the Church… A great gift to the Nation …

Apostolates of hope…

Catholic schools are among the oldest educational institutions in the United States. Built up from colonial times, the American Catholic school system has had no parallel in Europe, or, for that matter, anywhere in the world. Its story is a distinctly American one; and attending a Catholic school has formed the educational experiences for millions of Americans

Our Story

1606 – Spanish Franciscan missionaries establish a school in St. Augustine, FL

1677 – Jesuits establish preparatory school for boys in Newton, Maryland

1718 – Franciscans open school for boys in New Orleans

1727 – Ursulines open Ursuline Academy for girls in New Orleans

Colonial Times to 1830

1740 – Jesuits open another school in Bohemia Manor, Maryland

1770’s – Juniper Serra establishes the California mission system

1789 – Georgetown Academy founded becoming Georgetown College in 1791

Colonial Times to 1830

1810 – Elizabeth Ann Seton sets up school for poor children in Emmitsburg, Maryland

1812 – Sisters of Loretto and Sisters of Charity of Nazareth establish schools in rural Kentucky

1822 – Dominican Sisters start academy in Springfield, KY

Colonial Times to 1830

1831 – Mary Elizabeth Lange establishes school for African-American children in Baltimore

1840’s – Creation of parochial schools as a reaction to Protestantism

1850’s – Increasing Catholic immigration and John Neumann organizes first diocesan school system in Philadelphia

1830 to 1960

1852 – First Plenary Council of Baltimore urged every Catholic parish to establish a school

1866 – Second Plenary Council repeated the call for parochial schools

1884 – Third Plenary Council directed all Catholic parishes to open schools within two years

1830 to 1960

While the goal of erecting a school within every parish, mandated by the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore (1884), was never realized, the growth of Catholic education was steady and extraordinary.

1830 to 1960

1900 – 3,500 elementary schools and 100 high schools

1920 – 6,551 elementary schools and 1,500 high schools with 1.7 million students

1904 – NCEA formed

1932 – 300,000 Polish Americans enrolled in over 600 Polish grade schools

1830 to 1960

The increased immigration of the Catholic population in the 19th and 20th centuries produced an expansion of Catholic schooling, which continued from 1920 to the mid-1960s.

By 1965, the peak year, there were more than 12,000 Catholic schools enrolling over 5.6 million students.

1960 to the Present

School Staffing HistorySource: NCEA, 2013

Year Religious % Lay %

1920 92 8

1930 90 10

1940 91 9

1950 90 10

1960 74 26

1970 48 52

1980 29 71

1990 15 85

2000 7 93

2010 4 96

2013 3 97

6,685 Catholic Schools • Elementary Schools = 5,472• High Schools = 1,213• 28 new schools opened; 148 consolidated or

closed

Total Student Enrollment = 2,001,740• Elementary students: 1,415,244• Secondary students: 586,496

National Statistics

276 Catholic Schools• Elementary Schools = 222• High Schools = 54

Total enrollment = 78,340• Elementary Students - 58,396• Secondary Students – 19,944

9th in the Nation based on student enrollment

Texas Statistics

23 Catholic Schools• 17 Catholic Elementary Schools• 6 Catholic High Schools

556 Professional Staff (12 religious)

5,203 Students

Diocese of Austin

Catholic/Non-Catholic

Ethnicity

Race

Available and Affordable

Latinos – fastest growing Church group soon to comprise a majority of Catholics in the U.S. (3% attend Catholic schools)

Buildings in urban areas without nearby Catholic population

Thousands of potential students in suburban areas without schools

Present-day Challenges