Thanks to the continued excellence of a South Jersey Catholic education and successes from the last year during COVID-19, school leadership and advancement directors across the Diocese are responding to more enrollment inquiries than ever for the 2021-2022 school year.
Plus, with South Jersey Catholic Schools set to open full time in the fall, just as they did for the 2020-2021 school year, staff are providing on-site tours, and inviting prospective students and their families to the Catholic school community.
“We have always had a strong retention rate,” said Marianela Nunez, director of enrollment and outreach for South Jersey Catholic Schools. “This year, it is even higher because parents value the relationship we have with them and their children. Going through last school year together [during the pandemic] solidified that partnership and the trust between families and their Catholic schools.”
In Catholic elementary schools, she said, families have re-registered their children at higher rates than in recent years. Similarly, registrations for new and returning students at the five diocesan high schools are also higher than they were last year at this time.
Most families re-registered earlier than usual thanks in part to increased demands for limited seats in schools across the Diocese, she said. Early re-registration also helps to ensure that the schools are prepared with the right resources for students.
Last year, as the COVID-19 pandemic upended families’ routines, the fact that South Jersey Catholic schools offered in-person classes for the full school year was attractive to parents who did not want their students to fall behind academically. Families who transferred to Catholic schools from other institutions began to understand the value of the schools’ dedicated leadership, faculty and staff, Nunez said.
So when the re-registration processed opened up last year for current families, “they wanted to secure their spot.”
“Families value us; they know we were present during the pandemic,” she said, adding that they understand that “there’s no place where they can get a school that is centered on Christ, in pursuit of the faith, academic excellence, meaningful interactions and service to our neighbors.”
Michael Chambers, president of Haddonfield’s Paul VI High School, agreed.
“The families that made the jump [to Catholic school] last year see our value,” he said, adding that school enrollment is “holding steady” for the academic year.
In Clayton, Kelly Riordan, advancement director of Saint Michael Regional School, credited the “loyal and vocal” transfer families from last year who not only re-registered, but told their family and friends about the school.
At the start of the 2020-2021 school year, 202 PreK-8 students were enrolled at Saint Michael. This upcoming academic year, enrollment is projected to be close to 240, Riordan said. Tours are still available for families, with limited seats available in some grades.
Enrollees see “sense of family, faith, individual responsibility, respect for students, and the combination of faith and curriculum” that comes from a Catholic education, she said.
Transfer families looking for that in-person education experience last year were “pleasantly surprised,” notes Barbara Hertline, advancement director at Resurrection Catholic. The Cherry Hill elementary school’s PreK-8 enrollment is strong with 450 students, she said, compared to 415 last year.
Nunez praised the “continuous work of the principals and advancement directors to attract, welcome, and provide tours to new families” for the positive enrollment trends.
She said she is excited for the upcoming school year and grateful “for the hard work of teachers, staff and principals to continue to grow Catholic schools in South Jersey. We’re aware of the work we’ve done, and the work we need to continue to do, to keep Catholic School education available and affordable to all families seeking it.”
For more information on South Jersey’s Catholic Schools, visit southjerseycatholicschools.org.