Megan Anderson teaches 11th-grade English students last week at Catholic High. CHS enrollment has decreased slightly compared to last year while statewide enrollment in Catholic schools is down 18 percent the past 13 years.

Figures show enrollment in Catholic schools has decreased 18 percent statewide during the past 13 years, but local schools say their enrollment has not changed drastically. 

Jerry Reynolds, Catholic High School development director, said the average number of students at the school has been 885 per year in the past 10 years. 

He said there was a slight decrease in enrollment within the past two years. He said 813 students are enrolled at Catholic High School in fourth through 12th grades, compared to the 830 who were enrolled during the 2011-12 school year.

The Catholic High enrollment numbers have been proportionate to the population decline in New Iberia within the past 10 years, he said. 

“We have been fortunate to mitigate a sharp decline in enrollment, and we have undergone a long-range planning process, which has provided the school with clear direction over the next several years,” he said.

The statewide enrollment numbers were compiled by the National Catholic Educational Association, a century-old voluntary association of educators and institutions in Washington, D.C.

Anna Larriviere, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Lafayette, said the overall enrollment among the 35 schools in the diocese, which includes Catholic High and St. Edward School in New Iberia, Hanson Memorial and St. John in Franklin and Trinity Catholic School in St. Martinville, has slightly increased in recent years. 

“Each school markets their own school, however, last year our diocese joined with the other six dioceses in the state in a media campaign marketing Catholic education. We felt this was very successful,” she said. 

St. Edward School Principal Karen Bonin said 358 students are enrolled at the school, which is similar to the previous year, in grades Pre-K through third grade. 

The national decrease in enrollment was 23 percent, according to the report. Reynolds and Bonin said they think a variety of factors contribute to the national enrollment changes.

Reynolds said he thinks “economic-related reasons” affect enrollment in Catholic schools nationwide and Catholic High. Reynolds conducts exit interviews with students and their family when the student will not return to the school the following year. He said the economy is often mentioned as to why students will not return.

“Catholic High School works very hard to provide an education that is affordable and very competitive with other schools in the region,” Reynolds said. “However, we are very cognizant of the fact that over 3/10 of school-aged children in Iberia Parish live below the poverty line. Some families also have experienced unforeseen circumstances, such as illness or job loss and this causes a serious strain upon families.”

Some families have relocated both within and outside of Louisiana for employment opportunities, he said.

Bonin said she thinks enrollment has decreased nationally because the majority of Catholic schools operate with an all-lay staff, which creates budgetary issues that were non-existent when religious sisters and brothers accounted for substantial percentages of the staffs.

“It takes a tremendous amount of monetary sacrifice, and most parents who are committed to Catholic education make a conscious decision that having their children immersed in a faith-filled educational environment is an absolute priority,” she said. “Very unfortunately, there are times when even extremely committed parents find it impossible to account for tuition payments, even with assistance.”

Larriviere said many of the schools in the diocese do offer tuition assistance; however, there is a process and certain criteria to follow. 

According to the report, the average price of tuition for elementary schools is $3,673, and approximately 93.9 percent of elementary schools provide some form of tuition assistance.

The average price of tuition for a St. Edward student is $2,650, Bonin said, and the school offers tuition assistance from the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament Endowment and through private donations received for direct and immediate assistance. Some of the church parishes also assist families enrolled as parishioners in those parishes, and the school’s Booster Club offers a four-year partial scholarship, she said.

“Without a doubt, we have children attending St. Edward who would otherwise not be able to if these opportunities for assistance were unavailable, and we are extremely grateful to those who partner with us and our families in the best interest of our precious children,” she said.

Catholic High has a financial aid program and a scholarship program to help with tuition costs, Reynolds said. The school collaborates with St. Edward and Trinity Catholic in St. Martinville to offer scholarships, he said, and some scholarships are funded through the school’s endowment. The school’s fundraising effort designates funds for tuition assistance.

Reynolds said he thinks enrollment at Catholic High fares well compared to the national statistics.

“We have a positive public image and we are a school on the move. We certainly have not been stagnant in terms of what we offer,” he said.

Bonin said she thinks enrollment always will correlate directly to the number of actual practicing Catholics in the area.

“There can be a high concentration of Catholics, yet individual choices to participate in practicing our faith will surely affect both church-related activities and school enrollment,” she said.

Several attempts over three days to get enrollment information from Hanson Memorial High School, St. John Elementary School and Trinity Catholic School were unsuccessful.