The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
By the numbers: 59 schools in Hartford Archdiocese
The official Fact Sheet of the Office of Catholic Schools, Archdiocese of Hartford shows:
Catholic School Profile, School Year 2015 - 2016
The Hartford Archdiocese is, according to enrollment, the 41st largest network of Catholic schools among the 176 (Arch) Dioceses in the United States that have schools. According to number of schools, the Archdiocese of Hartford is the 25th largest. 59 Catholic Schools 48 (Inter) Parish elementary/middle schools (including 2 solely Pre-K), 2 Private elementary/middle schools, 4 Archdiocesan high schools, 5 Private high schools
Student Enrollment
Total Enrollment = 13,459
Pre-K/elementary/middle school students = 9,035
Secondary school students = 4,424
Enrollment diversity: 2,650 or 20 percent; Hispanic ethnicity: 978 or 7 percent (Total: 27 percent) (3 percent unknown)
Students of Catholic faith enrollment = 10,268 or 76 percent
Students of other faiths enrollment = 2,716 or 20 percent (4 percent unknown)
Student Diversity and Faith Backgrounds
The Archdiocese of Hartford welcomes and affirms all cultures, ethnic groups and faith backgrounds. The rate of racial diversity in the Catholic schools is 20 percent and the Hispanic ethnicity is 7 percent (total 27 percent). (According to the National Catholic Educational Association, NCEA, the rate of racial diversity in Catholic schools nationally is 20.4 percent and the Hispanic ethnicity is 15.3 percent, total 35.7 percent. In New England the rates in Catholic schools are 19 percent racial diversity and 7.5 percent Hispanic ethnicity, total 26.5 percent.) Of the total 13,459 students enrolled in our Catholic schools, 76 percent are Roman Catholic, 20 percent come from other faith backgrounds, and 4 percent unknown. The Archdiocese of Hartford enrolls approximately 175 international students from over 10 countries in 12 of the schools.
Professional Staff (Pre-K-12)
Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Hartford, including parish schools, diocesan high schools and private elementary and secondary schools, employ 1,445 professional staff members. 79 percent of the professional staff is Catholic, 17 percent is non-Catholic, and the faith of 4 percent is unknown.
Professional Staff
Full-time: 1,133 or 78 percent
Part-time: 312 or 22 percent
Laity (FT and PT): 1,413 or 98 percent
Religious/Clergy: 23 or 2 percent
Student/Teacher ratio – Elementary/Middle School = 11 to 1 (including parttime)
Student/Full-time Teacher ratio – Elementary/ Middle School = 16 to 1
Student/Teacher ratio – Secondary School = 7 to 1 (including part-time)
Student/Full-time Teacher ratio – Secondary School = 8 to 1
Overall Student/Teacher ratio = 9 to 1 (including part-time)
New England Association of Schools and Colleges Accreditation
All of the elementary, middle and high schools of the Archdiocese of Hartford are accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), a prestigious accrediting agency that sanctions such esteemed New England institutions as Harvard and Yale Universities. Archdiocesan schools meet or exceed the demanding standards set by NEASC and understand that association with the independent schools of this organization deepens their commitment to excellence in education.
Test Scores
College-bound students in the nine Catholic high schools of the Archdiocese of Hartford perform better than their peers both nationally and within the State of Connecticut on all sections of the SAT. Particular areas of strength include critical reading and writing.
Students in Catholic elementary schools of the Archdiocese of Hartford score in the top third of the nation in all subtests of the Iowa Assessments, a nationally recognized norm referenced test that measures student growth and proficiency across all content areas. Archdiocese of Hartford students’ performance on all subtests of this battery — math, reading, language arts, science, and social studies — exceeded the average score of students tested nationally.
High School Data Class of 2015
100 percent of Catholic high school seniors graduate from high school.
99 percent of Catholic high school seniors pursue further education: four year colleges, two year colleges, training programs, or the military; 98 percent go on to two and four year colleges; 94 percent go on to four year colleges. Students graduating in 2015 from Catholic high schools included 15 National Merit Scholars. Our Catholic high school students perform 111,800 hours of community service at more than 700 different organizations demonstrating faith in action.
Financial Assistance/ Tax Savings
The existence of Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Hartford relieves taxpayer burden considerably in the towns that have Catholic schools. During the 2015-2016 academic year, the Archdiocese of Hartford is educating 13,459 children within 59 schools. Based on the most recent available data from the Connecticut State Department of Education, 2014, the cost to towns with Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Hartford would be $204,522,964 dollars in additional levied taxes. Most of the dollars to support these schools come from the parents and school fund raising efforts, but in 2015 the Archdiocese also provided $3,268,744 dollars in support to lighten the financial burden of parents.