Education Getting the Axe

You are not signed in as a Premium user; we rely on Premium users to support our news reporting. Sign in or Sign up today!

CLICK TO WATCH THE VIDEO


TRANSCRIPT

Catholic primary and high schools were in trouble before the Wuhan virus, but now they're even worse off and some are closing forever.

The latest closures are hitting Camden, New Jersey, joining New York and Chicago in a growing trend of shuttered schools.

Parents found out only weeks after classes were canceled due to the Wuhan virus lockdowns that three grade schools and two high schools will close their doors after June 30.

The diocese attributed the closings to "years of dwindling community support in the form of declining student enrollment and local fundraising, despite significant diocesan and parish financial support ... ."

It added: "The decreasing priority given to Catholic education by many parents, including Catholic parents, ultimately weakened the viability of these schools."

In February, the archdiocese of New York announced the closing of seven schools, blaming falling attendance and crumbling infrastructure too costly to repair. 

Parents and students voiced anger, saying they never got any notice the schools were in trouble.

The archdiocese of Chicago announced in January five schools were getting axed, citing low enrollment and high debt as the reason.

According to the National Catholic Education Association, the United States saw peak Catholic school enrollment in the early 1960s at more than 5 million students.

But now there are about 1.8 million students, and with schools closing, the numbers are decreasing every year.

Have a news tip? Submit news to our tip line.

We rely on you to support our news reporting. Please donate today.