Chapter 8: Enrollment in Catholic Schools in the United States

This chapter examines the issue of enrollment in U.S. Catholic schools since their foundation. Enrollment is a more complex topic than one might suspect at first glance; a comprehensive overview must take into account a range of issues. To that end, we chose the following 10 variables to frame our discussion of the current reality: aggregate number of children in Catholic schools; school size; capacity of schools; geographic distribution of schools; ethnicity of students; gender composition of enrolled students; socioeconomic status of enrolled students and their families; academic issues; religious affiliation; and retention. We believe that it is important to put the current reality in its proper historical context. So, we begin with a historical perspective on enrollment from the outset of Catholic schools in North America. Next, we present our picture of students enrolled in U.S. Catholic schools at the present time, using both current literature and unpublished data collected in the 1995-1996 academic year at Boston College. We conclude with an analysis of major enrollment issues, speculation about possible futures, and avenues for further research.