The shift in emphasis from the city to the suburbs is fueled by demographic changes that began decades ago and reflects decisions by church leaders to follow Catholic families to the edges of the five-county archdiocese.
It's all part of a long-range plan to make sure Catholic schools are an option for all Catholic families, Bishop Joseph P. McFadden said Thursday when the high school closings were announced.
"Our hope is that Catholic secondary education will be available in every area of the diocese and will be accessible," said McFadden, auxiliary bishop who oversees Catholic education.
Enrollment at coed Dougherty, once the largest Catholic high school in the world, soared to nearly 6,000 students in 1965. It has plunged more than 43 percent during the last decade and was projected to fall an additional 34 percent in the next three years.
The massive building at 6301 N. Second St., which once had separate wings for boys and girls, has the capacity for more than 2,000 students, but only 640 attend this year.
At North Catholic - as the boys' school is known - enrollment dropped 29 percent in the last decade and was forecast to decline an additional 24 percent in three years despite efforts by school officials and alumni to boost enrollment and raise money to support the school.
The school, at 1842 E. Torresdale Ave., enrolled 4,410 at its peak in 1953. It has the space these days to educate 1,700 but has only 551.
"The critical reason for the closures of these schools at this time in our history is directly related to the steady decline in these schools' enrollment," McFadden said.
He pointed out that with fewer Catholic families living in the city, several nearby parish elementary schools closed in recent years. The closing of Catholic elementary schools has a direct impact on high school enrollment.
