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 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 to the Present

School Staffing History Source: NCEA, 2013 YearReligious %Lay %

 6,685 Catholic Schools Elementary Schools = 5,472 High Schools = 1, 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  9 th 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

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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