Catholic school enrollment is down in all of the "Big 12" metropolitan dioceses across the country. But in Los Angeles, it's not down by much, according to officials from the archdiocesan Department of Catholic Schools.

"We're the only one among the Big 12 dioceses that doesn't have a continuing decline in enrollment," said Pat Livingston, archdiocesan elementary school superintendent. Compared to enrollment in Eastern/Midwestern metropolitan dioceses grappling with soaring fuel costs and multiple school closures --- not to mention the Katrina-related troubles in the Archdiocese of News Orleans --- local Catholic school attendance is fairly healthy.

Recent archdiocesan 2005-06 school census reports indicate elementary and secondary schools experienced an overall decrease of 1.4 percent from last year. Census figures collected from archdiocesan, parish and private Catholic schools show a total of 61,028 elementary students and 30,535 high school students.

"We feel hopeful there will be a reversal of decline in enrollment," said Livingston. In spite of having to close two elementary schools because of dwindling enrollment last year --- Soledad in East Los Angeles and St. Anselm in Los Angeles --- the archdiocese managed to reduce its enrollment decline by half from the previous year. Most of the students from the two closed schools were admitted to neighboring Catholic schools.

Regionally, Catholic schools in the West have seen enrollment increase in the past decade from 30.1 to 33 percent. In the same time period, the Mideast and Great Lakes region have seen enrollment decrease from 54.4 to 50.9 percent.

The Los Angeles Archdiocese has been spared from serious declines in enrollment due to a number of factors, including a high percentage of urban/suburban Catholic families with school-age children, parishioner contributions toward Together in Mission subsidies to parishes and schools, and a mild climate reducing heating and cooling costs.

Population shifts to suburbs and rural areas in other major metropolitan areas have contributed to a decrease in Catholic school enrollment in dioceses such as Cleveland (2.9 percent decline), Detroit (8 percent decline), Newark (5 percent decline) New York (4.5 percent decline) and St. Louis (4 percent decline).

In addition, school closures and consolidations have become increasingly common among many of the Big 12 dioceses, which include Brooklyn, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Dorchester (Mass), Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Newark, Philadelphia and St. Louis.

Sister of Charity Dominica Rocchio, secretary for education and superintendent in Newark, N.J., anticipates closing three schools this year as a result of school consolidations. "With the high cost of fuel, [consolidating schools] seems a responsible solution to keep tuition costs down. I think enrollment declines will level off, but we're probably going to use fewer school sites," said Sister Rocchio.

George Henry, superintendent of Catholic Education in St. Louis, believes the future of Catholic schools remains bright in spite of having to close 10 schools last year. He cites a combination of factors for enrollment declines, including changing demographics, smaller size families and rising tuition costs. In spite of current challenges, "the future looks great, very positive," said Henry, who noted that one-third of the archdiocese in outlying areas is experiencing significant growth.

"I think the future will remain strong if people continue to chose Catholic education," said Sister Rocchio. "They'll continue to choose it if there are strong programs, if trust is not eroded and if there is some help such as tax credit or vouchers."