By Patrick Haggarty, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Catholic Schools

It is normal to go with the flow. In fact, when a person or institution goes against the grain, others notice. I am proud to report that once again, the diocesan Catholic schools in Butte, Missoula, Kalispell and Browning are going against the grain, beating the odds, and parents in these communities have taken notice. Catholic schools are on the rise.

Since 2003, the diocesan Catholic schools have seen significant increases in their enrollment. This is remarkable, especially when one examines the details of school-aged demographics in Montana and knows that public schools have seen a continual and steady decline in their enrollments. Ten years ago, more than 150,000 grade school and high school students were enrolled in our public schools, but according to the 2007 census, there are now fewer than 144,000.

In the communities that support a Catholic school system, these statistics are comparable. In total, Silver Bow (-432), Missoula (-298) and Glacier (-189) counties have 919 fewer students today than they had in 2003. On the positive side, Flathead County has seen a student increase of 3 percent or 400 additional students during the same time span. Although Montana remains a great place for families to raise children, it is obvious that there are simply fewer and fewer children living here. Our state’s Office of Public Instruction has been grappling with this very issue for a decade and continues to work very hard at efficiently educating a smaller number of students, especially in our rural regions.

When given the opportunity to talk about Catholic schools, I often mention these statistics. Inevitably, the question comes up: “Why, if there are fewer available students, are the Catholic schools seeing an increase in our enrollment?”

It goes against demographic logic that Montana is facing a 4.5 percent decrease in its student enrollment but the diocese is realizing a 21.7 percent increase. It also goes against economic logic. Educating children is not cheap. Although the Catholic schools provide an outstanding educational value, as we spend less money and our students rank very high in academic scores, it is still not a free affair. Most of our families make great financial sacrifices to send their children to a Catholic school.

And they do so with conviction, for they, too, know that faith-based schools have a place in our communities. Catholic parents want their children in a school where the “four R’s” (and religion) are part of the academic curriculum and they are willing to pay taxes and tuition in support of both.

I also believe that when moms and dads take a good look at schools and when they have the option, they prefer that their children learn where love, forgiveness and peace are taught. In essence, they’d prefer their children to know the faith and Catholic schools are schools we can have faith in.


Patrick Haggarty, Ed.D., is the superintendent of Catholic schools for the Diocese of Helena. For more information about the diocesan schools, visit www.diocesehelena.org/schools.


Published in The Montana Catholic Online, Volume 24, No. 6, June 20, 2008.