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Backgrounder

prepared by
Department of Communications
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
3211 Fourth Street NE ∙ Washington, DC 20017
202-541-3200 ∙ 202-541-3173 fax ∙ www.usccb.org/comm

Catholic Education in the United States at a Glance


Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools:

    Total Catholic school student enrollment for 2007 is 2,397,187:1

    • Elementary Schools: 6,562 schools educating 1,724,761 students2
    • High Schools: 1,350 schools educating 672,426 students3
    • Student/teacher ratio: 15:14
    • High School Graduation Rate: 99%; 97% go to college5

    Full-time equivalent professional staff: 159,135:6

    • 95.6% Laity (women: 74.5%; men: 21.1%)
    • 4.4% Religious/Clergy (Sisters: 3.2%; Brothers: .6%; Clergy: .6%)

    Single Gender Schools:7

    • Catholic Elementary: less than one percent
    • Catholic secondary: 33.1%

    Ethnicity and Non-Catholic Affiliation:8

    • Minority student enrollment is 596,149, equal to 25.7% of the total enrollment
    • Non-Catholic enrollment is 320,615, equal to 13.8% of the total enrollment (up from 11.2% in 1980 and 2.7% in 1970)

    Non-residential Schools for Handicapped Persons: 82 schools educating 8,659 students9

    Public School Students Receiving Religious Education:10

    • Elementary school students: 3,387,142
    • High school students: 732,917

    Average Tuition and Costs at Catholic Schools:11

    • Mean Elementary School Tuition: $2,607; Per pupil cost: $4,268
    • Mean Freshman Year High School Tuition: $6,906; Per pupil cost: $8,743
    • Based on the average public school per pupil cost of $8,310, Catholic schools provide a $19.3 billion savings for the nation.

    New schools opened: 36; consolidated or closed: 21212

    Schools with a waiting list for admission: 2,60713

    Minority student enrollment: 596,149, equal to 25.7% of the total enrollment14

Catholic Colleges, Universities, Related Institutions: 23615

    • Traditional Four-year Degree Colleges and Universities: 22016
    • Single Program & Theological Houses of Study open to lay students: 1617
    • Between 1980 – 2005, enrollment in Catholic colleges and universities increased by 60.88%18
    • Between 1980 and present, 15 new Catholic colleges and universities have been founded19
    • Educating 785,619 students20


    Student Body Make-up:

    • 61.5% of first-year students attending Catholic colleges self-identify as Catholic vs. 27.4% of first-year students at public institutions21
    • Catholic College Enrollment Breakdown by Gender (2005 figures)22
      • 62.4% female
      • 37.6% male
    • Average tuition and fees at U.S. Catholic colleges and universities: $19,468.00 (2005-06)23


    Seminaries:24

    • Diocesan Seminaries: 100; Students: 3,383
    • Religious Seminaries: 158; Students: 1,797
    • Newly Ordained Priests: 581 (2006-07)
    Sources:
  1. The Official Catholic Directory 2007, P.J. Kenedy & Sons, New Providence, NJ 2007
  2. Ibid
  3. Ibid
  4. National Catholic Educational Association 2006-2007 Annual Report
  5. Ibid.
  6. Ibid.
  7. Ibid.
  8. Ibid.
  9. The Official Catholic Directory 2007
  10. Ibid.
  11. National Catholic Educational Association 2006-2007 Annual Report
  12. Ibid.
  13. Ibid.
  14. Ibid.
  15. The Official Catholic Directory 2007
  16. Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities
  17. Ibid.
  18. National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) 2006 Digest of Educational Statistics
  19. Ibid.
  20. The Official Catholic Directory 2007
  21. Pryor, John H., et. al. 2006 The American Freshman: National Norms for Fall 2006 Los Angeles: Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA
  22. NCES 2006 Digest of Educational Statistics
  23. Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, 2005-2006 Research
  24. The Official Catholic Directory 2007