Diocese of Charlotte says NC Catholic school enrollment is hitting new records

Shawn and Mary-Jane Patrick say it was difficult to pinpoint why their daughter was losing interest in things she loved.

Halle Patrick, then a middle school student in Charlotte-Meckleburg Schools, had a penchant for drama and the debate team. She was active in extracurricular activities.

Then COVID-19 hit.

“She just stopped doing the things she loved,” dad Shawn Patrick told The Charlotte Observer. “She loved performing, and it was hard to watch her no longer wanting to do drama. She needed another choice.”

The family opted for Halle to begin her freshman year at Charlotte Catholic High School. The Patricks, who live in Matthews, say the move energized their daughter and she thrived: she’s a senior honors student, serves on student council and started the first all-Black student club at Charlotte Catholic. Last year, she directed her first play, “12 Angry Women.”

“The way the kids go out and encourage each other was different,” Shawn Patrick said.

The Diocese of Charlotte says families like the Patricks are flocking to its schools, generating record enrollment this school year across the system. Enrollment is up 12% from a decade ago — and almost 18% since the pandemic began in 2020, says Liz Chandler, director of communications for the Diocese of Charlotte. That covers schools across a larger swath than the Charlotte metro — starting near Greensboro and Interstate 74 and stretching west into the mountains.

Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools enrollment is also booming — increasing 18.6% since 2020 — and Charlotte Catholic welcomed its largest-ever freshman class of 400 students when school opened this month. MACS includes nine schools.

“People know we have the whole package here at Charlotte Catholic,” Principal Kurt Telford said. “Students get excellent academics grounded in faith, and they flourish no matter what their interests are — they see this as an investment in their children’s future.”

Enrollment at Charlotte Catholic schools

Christ the King in Huntersville, Bishop McGuinness in Greensboro, and Canongate in Arden are seeing enrollment increases, the Catholic New Herald reports.

Superintendent Greg Monroe says the Catholic schools saw an influx of students during the pandemic because most offered in-person learning.

“More than 90% of those families stayed with us even as the pandemic subsided because they had experienced first-hand our very real commitment to educating the whole child,” Monroe said. “And thanks to generous donors and scholarships, we’re doing everything we can to make a Catholic education accessible and affordable for every family.”

Across the country, Catholic school enrollment grew to 1.69 million students in 5,920 schools for the 2022-23 school year, a 0.3% increase from the previous year, according to the National Catholic Educational Association.

The association points to higher national test scores and graduation rates compared to schools in both public and private sectors as reasons why Catholic school enrollment is soaring.

New Catholic schools in Charlotte?

But there is a problem with growth: Monroe says the Diocese of Charlotte is reaching capacity in some of its schools.

“We are well into a strategic planning process to accommodate our growth, and we do anticipate needing new schools in the next three to five years in the northern and southern areas of the Charlotte region,” Monroe said.

School leaders last year expanded and renovated Charlotte Catholic, adding a $21 million MACS Fine Arts Center to accommodate its arts program. Officials repurposed former art spaces in the existing building into additional classrooms.

Charlotte Catholic also added a second weight room, installed a golf simulator and converted a classroom into a multimedia room with seating for 60, for classes and small group meetings.

The facilities and atmosphere have made a difference for families like the Patricks, who moved all of their children to Catholic schools.

Besides Halle, son Charles is a freshman at Charlotte Catholic and playing football. Christian is a sixth-grader at Holy Trinity Catholic School, the middle school feeder for Charlotte Catholic.