By Ricky Castillo
For more than a century Corpus Christi School, in lower Manhattan has been a Catholic school. This historical school located in Harlem has been a place where students of any race or class can attend.
The news angered many middle and lower income families who chose religiously affiliated schools because of the affordable tuition. The Corpus Christi Cahtolic School of Morningside Heights was permanently closed, citing insurmountable financial stress, exacerbated by the pandemic.
“We had built a little family there and created an environment where everyone was welcome,” one teacher voiced. “That school meant everything for me.”
Schools around the country continued this conversation on how to reopen safely and when to reopen. While these conversations took place an alarming amount of Catholic schools — already facing a decline in enrollments and donations from before the pandemic — were closing down permanently.
About 150 Catholic schools across the nation have closed, said the archdiocese of New York. As parents and families lost their jobs during the pandemic, many were unable to pay tuition at Catholic schools, even though fees were much less than at other private schools. These schools were already struggling with enrollment so the pandemic was a push for the worst. And when churches began shutting down, that also ended a major source of donations. The percentage of practicing Catholics had already declined across the United States which meant people were less inclined to apply to a religiously affiliated school.
The Archdiocese of New York reported the closure of twenty schools in April through August, highlighting that the pandemic was the final push for cahtolic institutions struggling to meet ends.
Enrollment into Catholic schools across the nation was at its highest during the 1960s with 5.2 million students, according to the NCEA. The percentage of practicing Catholics started to decline coinciding with low enrollment at Catholic schools. The number of children enrolling in Catholic schools hit 1.5 million in 2017.
For middle and lower income families who wished to enroll their kids into exclusive private schools that offered a more rigorous education, smaller class sizes and individualized attention there weren’t many options. Catholic private schools were one affordable option for these families but with these schools closing down one after another many had to look for other options.
Alumni at the Institute of Notre Dame were fighting to keep the school open arguing that some had not pushed hard enough to avoid closure.
“There is just a sisterhood that happens to the girls who go to this school, and we aren’t willing to walk away from that” one alumni voiced.
Catholic education for centuries has been seen as the ticket out of poverty for generations of middle and low income families, but in particular immigrants. These schools reached a point where they were unable to sustain themselves any longer. Facing school closures, families are still attempting to find new classrooms for their children. Some have turned to other Catholic schools and others have had to switch to public or charter schools. These places were an oasis for many students who were often ignored or lost in the public school system.
Sources:
https://www.educationnext.org/why-cant-middle-class-afford-catholic-school-anymore/
https://www.publicschoolreview.com/blog/a-history-of-public-schools
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/10/03/your-money/middle-class-income.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/11/opinion/letters/catholic-school-closings.html