Catholic schools in New Orleans struggle with post-Katrina enrollment decline

From The New Orleans Times-Picayune: Catholic schools in the New Orleans area, like the region as a whole, took a hit from Hurricane Katrina in 2005. But they have continued losing students since then, too. From 2007 into the current academic year, enrollment dropped almost 5 percent, from 40,625 to 38,434, according to the Archdiocese of New Orleans. It's down 19 percent from pre-Katrina levels, and there are 20 fewer schools. Nationally, Catholic school enrollment has shrunk 20 percent over the past decade, from 2.6 million to 2.1 million students, according to the National Catholic Educational Association. More than 1,600 schools have closed or consolidated, with elementary schools taking the biggest hit. Finding ways to reverse the trend has been challenging for the archdiocese.