Catholic school enrollment stabilizing, diocese says

Catholic school enrollment in the Chicago archdiocese rose in the city last fall for the third year in a row, while continuing a slow decline in the suburbs, new reports show.

Overall, the picture is one of stabilizing enrollment after steep declines in the largest diocesan school system in the nation, said spokesman Ryan Blackburn.

The archdiocese, which serves Cook and Lake counties, operated 256 schools serving 87,758 students in the last school year. In 1965, the system had 524 schools serving 366,000 students, or more than three times as many as today.

This fall, elementary school enrollment in Chicago rose 189 students to 30,190 students. In suburban Cook County, it fell 532 students to 25,875, while in Lake County, it fell 270 to 6,398.

The most recent high school numbers, which are for the 2010-11 school year, show Chicago enrollment of 12,698 students, down 474 students. In suburban Cook, enrollment was 11,034, down 327, and in Lake, it was 1,752, down 48.

The reports touted that the enrollment of students in diocesan schools saved the public school system $1.1 billion in the last school year, based on the average cost of a public school education.

The diocese’ elementary schools spent $4,665 per student, compared to a public school cost of about $12,000. About 4 percent of the money came from tuition, with parishes covering 7 percent, and fundraising 15 percent.

High schools spent $13,648 per student, which is comparable to what public schools spent. About 68 percent of funding came from tuition and fees, with about 25 percent coming from fundraising and 7 percent from investment income.

At the elementary school level, 86 percent of students identify themselves as Catholic, while at the high school level, 79 percent identify themselves as Catholic.