Economy Hurting Catholic Education Enrollment, But High Schools Remain Popular

When  opened in Danvers in 1958, the Catholic-based elementary school saw as many as 600 students enrolled annually. 

Now the school, which runs K-8, as well as two pre-kindergarten classes, typically anticipates 350 to 400 students enrolled, with about 75 incoming new students each year. Genevieve Fiorente, director of admissions, attributes the decrease in interest for Catholic elementary education since the school's inception to the economy, and parents' focus on higher education.

Many parents, she said, are already looking forward to college funding when their children are young and are bypassing parochial elementary and secondary education. "Truthfully, I feel that it is because of the state of the economy. It's hard for people to make that sacrifice financially; people are thinking of the future."

Enrollment remains strong at local Catholic high schools, though the economy is forcing some parents into making tough decisions.

"Thirty years ago, you used to be able to put a shingle out and say 'we're here,' and people would come," said Edward P. Hardiman, headmaster at . "The economy has changed and has forced people to make decisions with their resources."

Still, St. John's Prep has not seen a decrease in enrollment. In 2011, they graduated 334 students, the largest senior class in the institution's 104-year history. 

And Hardiman said in the past 10 years the figures at the Prep have remained consistent, with about a thousand inquiries, and a typical 300 freshmen entering the Prep each year. "There really is a cyclical flow. There are boom years and bust years," he said. "Our admissions trends have really mirrored the Massachusetts demographic trends."

Admissions, Hardiman said, is a key priority at the Prep. Parents are considered more critical consumers than they were in the past, and "we have to demonstrate that we're worth the sacrifices that parents are going to have to make to pay tuition." 

At in Peabody, Director of Admissions Stephen Czarnecki said one of the primary reasons parents chose Fenwick is to continue a tradition of Catholic schooling, noting that many of the students attended private or parochial elementary school. 

Of the typical 400 to 470 applications received for freshman year entrance, Czarnecki said about 75 percent are accepted. The enrollment figures, he said, have been very stable. 

"I feel that people want Catholic education in my heart," Fiorente said. "There has been a decrease in interest because of people not being able to afford it, but I still think it's a strong option in a lot of people's minds. Parents know if their children come here they're more than prepared for high school." 

Parents primary reasons for choosing St. John's Prep, according to Hardiman, are its academic reputation, safe environment, staff and faculty, creating a culture of success, and the focus on the individual. 

In terms of religion, he said the school's spiritual and moral background is not a top reason for choosing the school, but instead "one of the top reasons parents are grateful. [They] are extraordinarily pleased in the way students grow in their faith." 

Of the 1,200 students enrolled at the Prep, about 70 percent are Catholic, while 30 percent range from other Christian denominations, Muslim, Jewish, and undeclared. Hardiman said, "We want all students to feel included here. As the world becomes more and more global, our identity is Catholic, but our community is inclusive." 

Each morning, the school day is greeted with a prayer led over the P.A. system and there are several Mass services throughout the year. Four years of religious studies, incorporating information about various religions, and aligned with the expectations of the Diocese are focused to help students to think critically about their faith development. 

Meanwhile, Fiorente said more than 75 percent of the students who attend Saint Mary's are Catholic, and religion plays a major role in everyday academics. 

The students at St. Mary's represent 26 Massachusetts cities and towns, and the school focuses on academics and strong community bonds. While the school teaches Catholic religious studies every day, the school incorporates the message of respect for one another into all of its curriculum, including an initiative started by Principal Katherine Hunter where each classroom is encouraged to adopt a cause at the beginning of the school year. "We're really proud to say it's not all about us," said Fiorente. "[St. Mary's] offers great academics, strong faculty and staff, great structure."

Like St. Mary's and St. John's Prep, Czarnecki said the focus of most students at Bishop Fenwick is to create a strong community bond. "It tends to be very school community oriented, not only in academic life but student life," he said. 

Hardiman said that the Catholic Church's significant issues, particularly in Boston in recent years, have also changed parent's view of religious culture. "We need to address that," he said. "And we need to market who we are and show that we are an inclusive school who will provide a safe and nurturing environment for students."