Chicago, Ill., Jan 20, 2004 / 22:00 pm
Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago have been battling a drop in student enrollment for years and are looking for new ways to improve the situation for students and families.
An annual report released Jan. 14 by the archdiocese showed 5,488 fewer students were enrolled in their elementary and high schools this academic year, a decrease of 4.7 percent from 2002-03.
Student enrolment in elementary schools was worse than high schools, dropping 5.1 percent. High school enrollment only dropped 3.5 percent.
The decrease in student enrollment varied according to the area. Overall, Chicago schools had an average 5.2 percent drop. Some elementary schools outside of Chicago had drops of as much as 14 percent.