Prayer in class draws even non-Catholics to parochial schools

Kathleen Faherty McNutt, head of school at Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria, Virginia, is not only a promoter of parochial education, she’s also a consumer.

“I just put my fifth child through Bishop Ireton … in seven years,” said Ms. McNutt, 53 and an alumna. “I have put several through and have made the sacrifices myself to pay the tuition and make the choice.”

Primary and secondary schools run by American dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church have seen a dramatic upswing in enrollment in the past year after decades of decline.

The schools’ 2021-2022 roster of 1.69 million students showed a 3.8% increase over the previous year, according to a Manhattan Institute analysis of data from the National Catholic Educational Association. That was a sharp contrast to “significant enrollment declines” for public schools during the two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to researchers Kathleen Porter-Magee, Annie Smith and Matt Klausmeier.

For example, enrollment in the 18,000-student Arlington, Virginia, diocese rose 7.5% in 2022 over the previous year, said Joseph Vorbach, school superintendent. He wouldn’t predict a similar rise this fall, but said “we believe enrollment is going to go up again this year” and there will be “good retention in the parish schools and at the high school” level.

Part of the growth is due to Catholic schools being open for in-person learning before their public school counterparts, analysts and those inside the parochial system found.

Also important is the focus on educational basics and moral teachings, instead of so-called woke lessons many parents have opposed.

Mary Pat Donoghue, executive director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ education secretariat, said the person-to-person nature of Catholic education, which helped prompt the early school reopenings, makes a difference.

Education “is certainly something that the church feels is essential [in the] formation of young people, but also that it’s relational,” Ms. Donoghue said. “It ultimately depends on the ability of teacher and student to enter into this relationship. While the Zoom meetings were okay for a short period of time, they really are not a replacement for the [in-person] education process.”

Manhattan Institute researcher Annie Smith credited the ability of Catholic schools to quickly pivot during the pandemic as part of the draw.

At first, when “most places closed on Friday, by Monday, our schools were up and running, having devices in their students’ hands, having lesson plans and classes going on,” she said.

But by the fall of 2020, parochial schools were offering either hybrid or strictly in-person classes, while public schools lagged in resuming on-site education.

“I think, because of that reaction, … the parents really saw it and decided to go to the Catholic schools because they saw what a welcoming environment it was and how our schools really met the challenge,” Ms. Smith said.

Mr. Vorbach said that while being more open for in-person learning has helped in the past two years, there’s a difference in curriculum that many families find attractive.

“What’s fundamentally different about a Catholic school is that the reason for the school is to pass on the faith to the children,” he said. “And it’s not something that should just be experienced in religion class.”

Unlike public schools, parochial school students “are going to pray together routinely throughout the day,” as well as prepare to receive the Sacraments if they are Catholic, Mr. Vorbach said.

“The whole experience is predicated on this transmission of the faith to young people and to really help them see Christ in their life, and teach them the importance of trying to be Christ to others,” he said. Non-Catholic parents “were very interested in the fundamental value system” found at the schools.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated Kathleen Faherty McNutt’s age and misspelled Joseph Vorbach’s name on the second reference.