Catholic school enrollment moves steadily downward
Not much keeps New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond up at night. But one thing does make him toss and turn.
In the past four years, especially after Hurricane Katrina, Catholic school enrollment has been steadily falling. Finding ways to reverse the trend has been the most challenging work of his administration. "There is a decline and there has been a decline for the last several years, nationally as well as locally," Aymond said.
Catholic schools took a hit from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and have continued losing students since, with enrollment dropping almost 5 percent since 2007, from 40,625 to 38,434. It's down 19 percent from pre-Katrina levels, and there are 20 fewer schools.
