Catholic bishops of Florida celebrate national Catholic Schools Week, January 25-31

Tallahassee – During a week long celebration, January 25-31, 2009, the bishops of Florida’s seven (arch)dioceses join with others around the nation to recognize the valuable social contribution made by Catholic schools. 

In a statement issued by the bishops, the parents of Catholic school children are admired for their financial sacrifice.  The bishops state, “The taxes paid by these parents to support public schools while at the same time paying tuition, results in a huge savings for our state.”  The bishops note in their statement, that considering the $7,000 average yearly cost to educate a child in Florida's public schools, the 88,000 students in Florida's Catholic schools save the state $600 million annually.  This considerable savings is realized even after adjusting for the more than 4,200 Catholic school students participating in State funded scholarship programs. 

“We are very proud of the record of service by our Catholic school students and parents in giving back to their communities”, said James B. Herzog, Associate for Education, Florida Catholic Conference. 

The bishops express in their statement sincere appreciation to all parties contributing to the success of Catholic schools. In addition to Catholic school students and their parents, Catholic school administrators, teachers and pastors are recognized for their dedication, sacrifice and commitment to the education and faith formation of our children.

Click here to read full statement

Click here for full statement in Spanish

2008-2009 Florida Catholic school statistics