Catholic schools are seeing an increase in enrollment as parents fight educational culture wars.
With parents’ concerns on the rise over critical race theory, gender theory, and COVID-19 policies, the National Catholic Educational Association saw a 3.8% increase in enrollment during the 2021-2022 school year. As a new school year begins, the increase is seemingly continuing.
Father Jadyn Nelson with Bishop Ryan Catholic School in Minot, North Dakota, told Fox News Wednesday that families are leaving public school education to get away from the woke culture that has infiltrated many classrooms.
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“This year, we are up 6% [in enrollment] overall, and we’ve been seeing year-over-year gains around 5% for the last five years,” Father Nelson said. “Sixty-seven new families for a small school like ours is good interest in what we’re doing here.”
Nelson added that “a faith-based education that also includes discipline and a strong moral foundation” is highly sought-after today.
Perry Olsen is the father of three children enrolled at Bishop Ryan Catholic School. He noted how important it is to him that the same values taught at home are extended into the classroom.
“Just knowing that the care and the moral foundation that’s being laid hopefully at home continues on at the school during their time here, which is a lot, right?” Olsen said. “Kids are at school for a long time. It’s reassuring to my wife and me that it continues on here.”
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Nelson also pointed to the recent reversal of the Fargo, North Dakota, school board’s ruling regarding its inclusion of the Pledge of Allegiance.
“[There’s] a misunderstanding of the church-state separation,” Nelson said. “I think we’re seeing the Supreme Court re-look at what the original intent of the Constitution was, and you can see clearly that during that historical era, we were looking at not having a state impose religion, but it was certainly not to take God out of the public square.”
