Facts, figures on Catholic education in U.S

National Catholic Reporter, March 31, 1995

Elementary

STUDENT POPULATION: In the United States, 7,114 Catholic elementary schools serve a student population of 1,992,183. Eleven percent of the students are Hispanic-Latino Americans, 9 percent are African-Americans and 4 percent are Asian-Americans.

FAITH BACKGROUND: Nearly 12 percent of elementary school students are of non-Catholic backgrounds.

LOCATION: Thirty-three percent of Catholic elementary schools are in urban settings; 13 percent are in the inner cities; 31 percent are in the suburbs and 23 percent are in rural areas.

TEACHERS: Laity represent 89.5 percent of the full-time equivalent teaching staff in Catholic elementary schools; sisters, brothers and priests represent 10.5 percent. The average pupil-teacher ratio in Catholic elementary schools is 18-to-1.

KINDERGARTEN: Catholic preschool enrollment has risen almost 400 percent in the past decade. Forty-three percent of Catholic elementary schools have pre-kindergarten programs.

TUITION: The average tuition for children in the parish is $1,152. The average cost per pupil in Catholic elementary schools is $2,0.44. Ninety percent of schools nationwide receive subsidies from parishes; 37 percent have endowments.

SALARIES: The average annual salary for elementary school teachers is $19,132. The average salary for lay principals is $32,160.

DESERTION/EXPULSION RATE: Not available.

Secondary

STUDENT POPULATION: There are 1,231 Catholic secondary schools with 584,662 students enrolled. Of that total, 11 percent are Hispanic-Latino Americans, 8 percent are African-Americans and 4.3 percent are Asian-Americans.

FAITH: 17 percent of Catholic high school students are from other faith backgrounds.

LOCATION: 45 percent of Catholic high schools are in urban settings; 8 percent are in inner cities; 32 percent are in suburbs; and 15.5 percent are in rural areas.

TEACHERS: Laity hold 85.2 percent of the full-time equivalent teaching posts in Catholic secondary schools; sisters brothers and priests hold 14.8 percent The average pupil-teacher ratio in C secondary schools is 13-to-1.

COEDUCATION About 60 percent of Catholic secondary schools in the United States are coeducational; 23 percent are all-female; and 17 percent are all-male.

TUITION: The median tuition cost nationwide for first-year Catholic high school students in September 1991 was $2,700.

SALARIES: The average median salary for secondary lay teachers is $24,700. The maximum average salary for teachers is $32,000. The average annual salary for secondary lay principals is $45,800.

DROPOUT/EXPULSION RATE: Catholic high schools, on the average, expel only 1 percent and suspend less than 3 percent of their students. A national study placed public school dropout rates at 14.4 percent. The parallel rate of students leaving Catholic schools between sophomore midyear and senior midyear was 3.4 percent.

(Source: National Catholic Educational Association)