Catholic Schools Week

Lincoln's Log 1-27-13

This week we celebrate Catholic Schools week.  As parishes with a Catholic elementary school we are familiar with the value that a school brings.  Our parishes would not be the same and our future would not be as bright without our school.  We know that learning about the faith can be done in many ways (e.g. online, in small groups, through religious education classes, etc... ) but a Catholic school provided day-to-day situations where students are guided and encouraged to live their faith.

But the value of Catholic education goes beyond the walls of St. Rose St. Mary's school!  Here are some facts from the University of Notre Dame that reveal the value of Catholic education to our entire nation and the worldwide Catholic community:

1. The Catholic Church has over 68 million members. (National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) 2011 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches) 
2. 1 in 10 Catholic teens attends a Catholic school. (USCatholic.org) 
3. In 2010, 55.8 million children attended public schools; 5.8 million children attended private schools, with 2.1 million in Catholic schools.  (NCEA) 
4. The student/teacher ratio in Catholic schools is 14:1.(NCEA) 
5. 99% of students who attend Catholic high school graduate. Of those, 88% attend 4-year colleges. (NCEA) 
6. Currently, 6 of the 9 Supreme Court Justices went to Catholic school. (Boston.com) 
7. The minority population accounts for 30% of the Catholic school population (13% Latino; 8% Black/African American; 6% Asian American; 4% Multiracial). (NCEA) 
8. 15% of Catholic school students are not Catholic. (NCEA) 
9. 45% of Catholic schools in the United States participate in Federal Nutrition Programs, which provide over 262,000 free meals to children daily. 
10. The mean cost per pupil at Catholic schools is $5,436; the national per pupil average is $10,792). (NCEA; National Center for Education Statistics) 
11. Catholic schools provide over 20.5 billion dollars a year in savings for the nation. (NCEA) 
12. Catholic school tuition seldom covers the mean cost per pupil.

Source:  http://ace.nd.edu/resources/fun-facts-about-catholic-schools

Catholic schools make a difference.  They are, indeed,the Good News in education.

Peace,

Lincoln A. Wood