Catholic Education Planning Process

Parish Elementary School Discernment Overview

Early in the All Things New process, the Office of Catholic Education and Formation developed a matrix that outlined the current realities for each parish elementary school analyzing the following: (1) enrollment, (2) building capacity, (3) parish subsidy to support the school and other financial support, and (4) proximity to neighboring schools. It is with these factors in mind that we have examined our parish elementary school footprint.

Based on the data gathered, school consultations have taken place with the pastors of many parishes with elementary schools. After a period of discernment, all pastors have recommended to Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski that their schools remain open for the 2024-25 school year.

The Office of Catholic Education and Formation has provided pastors and their parish leaders with a feasibility plan template that outlines strategies to be taken to ensure the long-term viability of the elementary schools. These reports are due to the archdiocese by February 1, 2024, and will be compiled after close consultation with the respective parish communities, requiring the consensus and endorsement of their parish councils, finance councils, and parish advisory school boards.

The timeline below includes the key inflection points in the process.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

All Things New Education Timeline

Strategic Pastoral Planning Initiative for the Archdiocese of St. Louis


January 2022: Archdiocese Announces All Things New Initiative; Publishes Parish Elementary School Workbooks with Enrollment Figures, Trends, Parish Subsidy Information

August 2022: Archdiocese Issues Catholic Education Survey to Parents and Teachers

October 2022: Archdiocese Receives 18,000 Survey Responses; Publishes Results

November 2022: Archdiocese Postpones Changes to Catholic Elementary Schools Until 2024-25 School Year

May 2023: Archbishop Issues Decrees Related to All Things New

October 2023: Catholic Elementary School Consultation Begins

November 2023: Consultations Conclude; Parish Discernment

December 2023: Recommendations for Parish Elementary Schools Due to Archdiocese; Announcement of Closures (if any)

February 2024: Parish Elementary School Feasibility Plans Due to Archdiocese





Overview of Elementary School
Subsidy and Enrollment
By Parish and Planning Area

For 2021/2022 School Year

The data that follows provides "Total School Operating Revenues," "Total School Operating Expenses," "Total School Operating (Subsidy)," "K‐8 Student Enrollment," and "Building Capacity" of our elementary school footprint for the financial and elementary school year ended June 30, 2022.

We define "Total School Operating Revenues" as gross tuition we earned through our preschool and Kindergarten‐to‐8th‐grade programs, minus any tuition discounts, plus registration and program fees (such as book fees). Total School Operating Revenues exclude revenues from grants, fundraising and related activities.

We define "Total School Operating Expenses" as costs associated with supporting the ongoing operations of the school. These costs predominately include salaries and benefits for our teachers and related school staff, as well as occupancy costs such as utilities, supplies costs, etc. Approximately 75% of our Total School Operating Expenses relate to salaries and benefits.

We define "Total School Operating (Subsidy)" as the amount by which our Total School Operating Expenses exceed our Total School Operating Revenues. For the year ended June 30th, 2022, our Total School Operating (Subsidy) for the school system as a whole was ($50,402,374). These subsidies are predominately funded through general parish offertories, fundraising activities, and various grants.

We define "Building Capacity" as the total number of students we have the ability to educate within each school building based on number of classrooms and a class size of 25. "Building Capacity" as defined herein in not necessarily synonymous with building occupancy maximum.

The parishes and elementary schools within the boundaries of the Archdiocese of St. Louis are separate and distinct legal entities from the Archdiocese of St. Louis. As a result, their financial statements are not consolidated into the financial statements of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, and remain preliminary and unaudited. Every reasonable effort has been made to ensure the numbers included herein are reflective of those represented on the financial statements and associated records of each individual parish and school. To the extent that errors or omissions are discovered subsequent to this release, updated versions of this data may follow.

School Workbooks

by Planning Area

Click the links below to view and download the PDF for your school.

Please read the notes carefully in each school report and refer to the definitions listed in the section above, entitled "Overview of Elementary School Subsidy and Enrollment by Parish and Planning Area" for important context.

All Things New
Elementary School (K-8) Survey Results
Fall 2022

As part of All Things New, the Archdiocese of St. Louis is examining our parishes, schools, ministries and agencies, evaluating our effectiveness in proclaiming the Gospel. Our goal is to ‘make all things new’ by Gospel renewal and to enhance our evangelization to secure a vibrant future for our current students, as well as their children and grandchildren, by creating an educational model that is accessible, affordable, strong in Catholic identity, and more equitable towards our teachers.

As part of this prayerful discernment, Archbishop Rozanski recently sought additional input and feedback from current parish school teachers, staff and school families about their Catholic school experiences. Nearly 1,900 teachers responded to their survey and more 10,000 parents and guardians responded to their survey by answering both multiple choice and open ended questions.

Below is an overview of all the responses from across the Archdiocese of St. Louis and well as the parent responses to their specific parish school. Each pastor and principal has received the results for their specific school, and parts have or will be shared with teachers, staff and school parents. They have provided excellent and important feedback to the Archbishop regarding the values and desires of our employees and parents as they relate to the future of Catholic education in the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

Our Address

Archdiocese of St Louis
20 Archbishop May Dr.
St. Louis, MO 63119

Contact Us

[email protected]

(314) 792-7005

Follow Us