Catholic schools see growth

Catholic schools answer the call

by Deirdre Bardolf

Associate Editor

Allison Murphy’s first year as principal of St. Kevin Catholic Academy in Flushing was 2020 and thwarted, of course, by the Covid-19 pandemic.

But there was a silver lining because the school reacted quickly, ensuring every student had a device to use at home for virtual learning and later enforcing strict protocols to limit the spread of the virus.

Once in-person classes could resume, St. Kevin never had to close again because of a spike in cases while schools around the city battled many of them.

Word of that got around to parents and made them want to enroll.

“That was a huge motivating factor for people to come to St Kevin’s because we were live teaching every day and many schools in our neighborhood weren’t,” Murphy told the Chronicle.

Parents are the best marketing at the school, she said.

“Covid started it and people stayed because they loved it so much and then they told their friends,” she said. “It also has to do with our very, very active parent association.”

Kristin Horan, a Fresh Meadows mother of two boys going into second and fifth grades at St. Kevin’s, noticed new students coming to the school during the pandemic and staying because they were happy there. Some, she knows, have left the school but often because they’re moving out of state.

“We were open during that year where other schools were closed ... I felt like my kids had a little bit of normalcy in their education, even though it wasn’t really normal, but at least they were in school five days a week with their friends,” recalled Horan.

Parents also appreciate the rigorous academics, which many feel are comparable to the public school system. Last year, Horan’s eldest had homework in each subject every night of the week and was consistently challenged.

“We’re very competitive academically and we have a very rigorous program. We have Regents science and Regents math, we have a working lab,” said Murphy.

And class sizes of about 20 are a positive sign of growth to her.

But the parochial education environment means more than just academics.

“Also, it’s about character development. When you talk to me, I tell you how important character and faith and religion are and people, that’s what parents are looking for.”

Students travel from as far as Cambria Heights, she said. And of course, the school’s 100 percent acceptance rate to high school doesn’t hurt.

“We guarantee the same kind of academic rigor and the robust curriculum, the same as the city’s but then we can add that social dimension that comes out of our faith,” said Deacon Kevin McCormack, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Brooklyn, which includes Queens. “There’s a strong community and there isn’t a lot of bureaucracy between a teacher and me. In public systems, there are literally a score of levels between teacher and assistant principal and superintendent,” he said. And that is often felt within the individual school communities.

“Everybody’s very accessible,” said Horan.

“They have an easy system for us to get in touch with them and they’re very responsive.”

For her, the sense of community there is strong.

“I know the families, the teachers and the principal. They know my kids. They’re not just a number or a vaguely familiar name.”

Projections from the New York City Department of Education predict 28,100 fewer students will enroll this fall, with another potential 2,000-plus students leaving before the end of the school year.

Approximately 120,000 students have left the New York City public school system over the last five years, according to the city data.

Cities like Chicago, Boston and Los Angeles are facing similar fates.

Enrollment to charters and private schools has in turn ticked up in some cases.

Murphy said enrollment at St. Kevin’s has risen nearly 27 percent since the pandemic.

Some Catholic schools in the diocese are citing registration 15 percent to 60 percent above prepandemic levels, and registration is expected to grow this year, according to a press release from the diocese.

“We’re on track right now to be just about where we were last year or just a slight bit more,” said McCormack

High school populations are especially holding their own, he said, for reasons including academics and high college acceptance rates. “There are individual schools that struggle, but we have several schools that are actually exceeding their numbers really significantly.” At least 20 schools in the diocese are reporting growth in student registration, and of those, the average K-8 growth is 20 percent compared to 2019 enrollment. St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Academy in Maspeth is seeing 60 percent growth over prepandemic numbers. The school’s principal, Cathy Mangone, sees strong retention rates among families as notable in light of recent enrollment trends citywide. St. Kevin Catholic Academy in Flushing offers grades K-8. Above, younger “While we’ve gained students students cheer on last year’s graduates. COURTESY PHOTOS from public school during the pandemic, we work hard to create a relationship with all of our families, so they stay,” she said in a statement. McCormack is the new superintendent of schools for the diocese, his appointment having gone into effect on July 1. To continue trends of rising enrollment, he saidn it’s about getting the “good news of Catholic education out there.” “When we are at our best, we are always Parochial looking to make sure that the individual is reccommunity ognized and supported, that when a family or a kid comes in, they’re not a number. They’re not warehoused.” McCormack continued, “The dignity of the person is first and foremost. It’s the way a parent is treated in the office. It’s the way a kid is treated in the class. It’s the way the kids treat each other at lunch.” One area for improvement, he said, is providing competitive salaries for teachers that keep up with wages in the city and suburban public schools. “Our teachers understand the mission of Catholic school, but at the same time, we have to make sure that we can give them better wages to be able to compete ... We support them in the mission, but now we have to continue to build that up and increase their wages as best we can over the long term.” Kids likely don’t know McCormack, he noted, but they do know their teachers and that’s what matters. The diocese offers programs through the nonprofit Futures in Education to provide financial aid and scholarships to needy students through Brooklyn and Queens. “Parents are willing to sacrifice for the things that matter so if they see our education as giving their children the academics that they need, the security that is demanded and reasons for hope in the future, then they are going to invest,” said McCormack. Many are attracted to Catholic schools for the smaller school community and academics that rival those of public schools. At St. Kevin Catholic “And they do and they have and God willing Academy in Flushing, parents appreciate that administrators know their kids by name. At right, students learn in the LabLearner Discovery Lab. they’ll continue to be.” Q