Today’s Catholic schools face a combination of challenges including decades of enrollment decline, increased costs from the decline in religious orders operating schools, decreasing levels of Catholicity, and new waves of lawsuits due to changes in statutes of limitation. Despite these challenges, Catholic school students continue to outperform public school students on reading and math, are more likely to graduate from college, and are more likely to choose a religious vocation or life of service to the Church.

COVID-19 and prolonged school and parish closures have placed additional financial and operational pressures on Catholic schools, which have shed new light on underlying issues of fiscal sustainability. To ensure the future of Catholic Education these pressures require decisive action. Catholic leaders should seize this moment to address its challenges and embrace change, ensuring that Catholic schools continue to transform the lives of its students for the long-term. 

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