California diocese sees Catholic school enrollment climb

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Just a few minutes into his first tour of St. Joseph School, Daniel Ramirez was sold.

Looking for a new school for his three children, Ramirez walked into the 101-year-old private Catholic school in Santa Ana and saw teachers wearing suits. He also saw that each student had an iPad, that classes were small, that kids were engaged.

“You could probably get a good education anywhere. This school offers that,” Ramirez said.

“It also offers strong discipline,” he added. “And a sense of community, and family.”

After more than a decade of cuts, closures and falling enrollment, some Catholic schools in Orange County are seeing enrollments surge, fueled by parents like Ramirez looking for a structure they don’t think they can find in traditional public school campuses.

Church officials cite several factors. Catholic schools are marketing again to families. Some are helping with tuition. The economy is better.

“Families are seeing now that our schools can excel in many ways,” said Bishop Kevin Vann, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange. “We are leading several initiatives currently to strengthen our schools, which remain central to the core mission of the church.”

This school year, enrollment is up at about half of the county’s 41 diocese schools compared with last year. Overall, Catholic school enrollment countywide has grown about 5 percent, to 19,052. St. Joseph School has seen the highest increase, with the number of students climbing to about 200 students from 159.

The growth might be marginal at many campuses, with their enrollment increasing by 10 students or fewer. Still, more parents returning to schools could signal a shift for Catholic education in the county, Vann said.

“It’s too early to say if we’ve turned the corner, but it’s encouraging to see some of the numbers going in a positive direction.”

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