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Florida Catholic Schools Celebrate Their History Tallahassee, FL (January 28, 2005) - The year was 1866. Bishop Augustine Verot was recruiting the Sisters of Joseph from Lepuy, France to educate the marginalized and disenfranchised in St. Augustine, Florida. This invitation ultimately provided the impetus for growth of Catholic education in Florida. Today, that history and the mission of Florida Catholic schools to provide academic excellence in a faith oriented education is commemorated in a weeklong celebration. From January 30 to February 5, Catholic schools throughout the nation will reflect on commitment, sacrifices, and accomplishments necessary to carry on their history and mission. The theme for Catholic Schools week is, “Living the Faith: Catholic Schools.” During the week, February 2 will be designated as National Catholic Schools Day. “Catholic schools week is a time to embrace our past, assess the present, and look to the future,” said Larry Keough, Associate for Education of the Florida Catholic Conference. Keough said one of the staples of Florida Catholic schools is to provide a spiritually based, quality education that is affordable for as many families as possible. In an era of soaring educational costs, the average diocesan per pupil expenditure is $4,469 for K-8 and $7,246 for secondary schools. Approximately 90 percent of the 95,094 students in Florida Catholic schools are Catholic. Of the 224 Catholic schools, 181 are elementary, 36 are secondary, and 7 serve special needs students. Catholic early childhood programs include those that are affiliated with elementary schools and “standalone” programs that are separate and apart from schools. The following link contains additional statistics on Florida Catholic schools: http://www.flacathconf.org/resources/catholicschoolstatistics.htm
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Florida Catholic Conference |