Quincy Catholic Elementary Schools announce 7 percent increase in enrollment

QUINCY — Quincy’s Catholic Elementary Schools recently announced a 7 percent increase in enrollment for the 2022-2023 school year at its four schools — Blessed Sacrament, St. Dominic, St. Francis Solanus and St. Peter.

This increase mirrors a national trend, as enrollment in Catholic schools nationwide has increased for the first time in many years. Quincy’s two other Catholic schools — Quincy Notre Dame and Quincy University — also announced enrollment increases this school year.

“It’s an exciting time in Catholic education across the country and in our community,” Sara Reuschel, executive director of the QCES Foundation, said in a press release. “While there are numerous reasons families choose one of our Catholic schools, we have found many of our new families were impressed with how our schools continued to deliver high quality education during COVID and how seamlessly students transitioned back into the classroom with little to no progress lost. Families have also expressed excitement about the future of the four elementary schools as we work to form a system.”

While Quincy’s four elementary schools were closed during the spring months of 2020, daily instruction continued. Students received packets, utilized one-on-one devices, logged into virtual classrooms and maintained their coursework. Upon the return to in-person instruction in the fall of 2020, schools established detailed plans should virtual learning resume or for students who were out of school due to illness or exposure. Partnered with more individualized attention and smaller class sizes, students maintained their academic progress.

The Quincy Catholic Schools Leadership Team presented a proposal to form a shared governance and administrative structure in the spring of 2022. It would formalize the long-standing partnership between the four schools and work to create even greater consistency among the schools.

The team is working with the Diocese of Springfield to draft governance by-laws which will inform the legal structure of the system as well as the role and composition of the Board of Specified Jurisdiction, which would oversee the system’s operations. The goal of this endeavor is to strengthen the system to ensure Catholic education remains strong.

For more information on Quincy’s Catholic elementary schools, visit www.quincycatholicschools.org, call the QCES Foundation office or email director@quincycatholicschools.org.