Religious Schooling During the 1970s

Enrollment in Catholic Schools.

The once-strong urban systems of parochial schools in the United States suffered a setback during the 1970s. Administrators of Catholic schools faced problems on three fronts: student enrollment, finances, and personnel. According to the United States Office of Education (USOE) figures, during the ten-year period from 1961 to 1971 public-school enrollment was up 22.5 percent while parochial school enrollment was down 8.1 percent. The National Catholic Education Association reported a steady decline in enrollments in nearly all areas of the United States from the peak enrollment years of 1965-1966. During 1970 twelve Catholic schools closed in Chicago and Detroit alone, with over fifty thousand students transferring to the public systems there. Elementary parochial schools closed nationwide at the rate of one per day in 1970-1971, and 135 Catholic high schools closed or consolidated themselves...

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