Parochial School
A parochial school in the United States is a private elementary or high school run by a church. They do not receive any federal, state or local funds, but parents may receive School vouchers good for tuition.
The term "parochial school" generally refers to schools operated by the Catholic Church, but is also used in some circles for schools operated by mainline denominations. By contrast, schools run by evangelical, Pentecostal/charismatic, and fundamentalist denominations generally do not refer to themselves as parochial; usually they are simply known as "Christian schools". (Though the term "private school" may also refer to Christian schools, generally it is used to refer to non-sectarian schools.)
In 1890 parochial schools came under political attack by Republicans in Wisconsin. Democrats defended the schools and won the election.
Catholic schools
Since the 1960s the number of students in parochial schools in the United States has been declining, and many have closed.
The number of students in Catholic schools is only 2.27 million, compared with 5.25 million in the 1960s. Now there are only 7,378 parochial schools, while in the 1960s there were 12,893.[1]
The decline is accelerating. About 1,267 Catholic schools have closed since 2000 and enrollment nationwide has dropped by 382,125 students, or 14 percent, according to the National Catholic Education Association."[2]
Catholic nuns ("sisters") traditionally filled many of teaching positions at parochial schools, which typically were controlled by the parish and supervised by the diocese. In 1965, 104,000 teaching sisters educated students in parochial schools in the United States. By 2007, that number had declined by 94%, such that there are only 8,200 teaching sisters.[3]
The reason for the decline may be the population shift in America from northern cities (where Catholicism has historically been the strongest) to southern cities (where Protestantism is stronger) and western cities (where religious belief is generally minimal). In the southern and western areas, affluent suburbs have risen up in recent years with generally strong public school systems (though still secular and hostile toward religion) where parents have chosen to send their children.
See Also
References
- ↑ http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CATHOLIC_SCHOOL_CLOSURES?SITE=NCAGW&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
- ↑ http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CATHOLIC_SCHOOL_CLOSURES?SITE=NCAGW&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
- ↑ Hilary White, "Vatican Cardinal Criticizes U.S. for not Funding Catholic Schools," The Wanderer, pp. 1 and 7, Vol. 140, No. 49 (Dec. 6, 2007).
