In this issue of The Tablet, we celebrate children returning to school and extol the virtues and many benefits of a Catholic education.
Across the Diocese of Brooklyn, 65 Catholic elementary schools and academies and 15 Catholic high schools began a new academic year.
As Bishop Robert Brennan said while greeting students at Incarnation Catholic Academy in Queens Village on the first day of school this past week, “For us as a Catholic school system, it’s very important that we stay true to who we are, to our faith and values.”
Catholic education combines high academic standards, moral development, and a strong community bond. In addition to traditional subjects, Catholic schools cultivate a deep understanding of faith and its significance in students’ lives.
This can help to develop a strong moral compass, empathy for others, and a dedication to serving others. As a result, students may become more involved citizens, offering their time and making positive contributions to their communities.
The comprehensive approach to education prepares students for academic achievement and a rewarding and purposeful life.
This new academic year also sees a new girls’ middle school opening in Bay Ridge. Visitation Middle School Program at Fontbonne Hall Academy opened its doors to 35 young women on the campus of Fontbonne Hall.
We also have Deacon Kevin McCormack, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Brooklyn, wishing all the students a fantastic and successful school year.
According to the latest available statistics, nearly 30% of the students in our diocesan Catholic academies and schools are not Catholic. Yet, these families value the traditional education offered by our teaching professionals.
Perhaps it is the rigors of a Catholic education that they appreciate, or maybe it is the inherent values that are taught alongside the curriculum. These families see something in our educational philosophy that merits coming into a faith-based system.
Perhaps it’s the fact that 99.3% of Catholic secondary school students graduate, and 85.2% go on to four-year colleges, compared to 44% of public school graduates who go on to a four-year college.
According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, non-Catholic enrollment was 345,327, or 18.4% of the total.
Thirty percent of all Catholic high schools are single-gender, and 1.4% of all Catholic elementary schools are single-gender.
Dioceses with the largest enrollments are Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Brooklyn, St. Louis, Boston, and New Orleans.
Another high point of this new academic year is that the Catholic schools and academies have eight new principals, all of whom are former students and graduates from within the Diocese of Brooklyn.