The recent decreases in enrollment and interests in going to a catholic school has been noticed by most of the country. Going into the 2012-2013 school year 1/5 of the catholic schools in Philadelphia Archdioceses closed down and the students that wished to continue with a catholic education were forced to find a certain school. Starting off the 2013-2014 school year New York is expected to close 26 schools.  Since about 2/3 of the catholic schools in this nation are in the Northeast, the yearly closings are truly becoming an issue for the schools and the masses.

Junior Leana Bugglin-Borer says, “I believe the enrollment in Catholic schools is declining because of cost and a decline in Catholic values. America economy has come close to almost being another Great Depression a couple times in recent years. Many people no longer have the funds to send their children to private schools. American culture is also becoming more and more amoral, putting emphasis on material things (looks, fame, sex, etc.) instead of the Christ-centered lives encouraged by the Catholic church”. Rose O’Brien, a parent who is sending four daughters through catholic school, says, “I think the reason the the declining enrollment and interest in going to a catholic school is a lack of faith. People aren’t as religious as they used to be and the churches and the catholic schools are a more relaxed setting. I also think that the costs of tuition are too high for families that want to send their kids through a catholic school. We are in a situation of a very bad economy and there are a ton of parents who cannot justify sending their kids to a catholic school”

The reason for O’Brien sending her kids to a catholic school was the discipline and structure that catholic schools were famous for. She did not want her kids at the public school receiving a worse education when there was a catholic school right there. Junior Nicole Du says, “If I were to have kids one day I would send them to a catholic school. I think that Catholic schools teach us values and principles that are hard to find in modern society. It teaches us important moral aspects and gives us the mindset that will help us succeed physically and spiritually.”

Rose said, “I believe that the catholic schools will be able to recover from the issues that are going on right now. The idea of merging the schools together was a good start and it gave everyone, including the teachers, a chance to start over in a new environment. By closing down the schools and reopening only some of the buildings the teachers were re-evaluated, the curriculum was changed around, and the students were able to form new friendships and learn in a new environment.

The differences in public and catholic schools are sometimes very obvious depending on the kids. Rose says that after sending four daughters through a catholic school she has seen better morals installed and also better work ethics.

With the decline in catholic schools we can see how some of the kids are suffering from losing their schools and how some of the churches are suffering as a result of the closing in the schools. Hopefully the new mergers can be used in a positive way and the  enrollment and interest can begin to grow again.