PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS. In the United States a parochial school is a private elementary school maintained by a Roman Catholic parish. Elementary schools conducted by the Roman Catholic Church are generally known in the United States by this name to distinguish them from public schools supported by taxa tion.
Parochial schools in the United States date from the early 17th century, the first schools having been founded at that time in Florida and New Mexico. Prior to 1776, 70 Roman Catholic schools existed within the present confines of the United States. The increased immigration, especially from Germany and Ireland, and the consequent expansion of the church after 1840 were the principal factors making for the development of the Roman Catholic school system. The Third Plenary Council of Baltimore (1885) made it obligatory for every parish to maintain a school. From 188o to 1920 the attendance at Roman Catholic schools in creased from 405,234 to 1,795,673, the percentage of total increase for the 4o year period being 343.12%.
Parochial schools are supported financially by each parish, but form a diocesan system administered by a diocesan superintendent who is subject immediately to the bishop or to the diocesan board of education. Each school has a principal and a supervisor be longing, as a rule, to the religious community. The curriculum of the parish school has practically the same content as that of the public elementary school, to which is added religious education in its many phases. The number of hours and the length of the term
are the same as in the public school. The text-books used are those ordered by law, or in use in the public school, or texts espe cially designed for Roman Catholic schools.
The majority of elementary school teachers in parish schools are men and women members of a religious community or order.
These teachers are required to undergo a professional preparation, in the main the same as that required of public school teachers. In order to prepare these teachers, various Roman Catholic uni versities maintain departments of education. A great number of religious communities have established their own training schools. Teachers' institutes, summer courses and summer school work are offered to teachers in service. Wherever necessary, the teach ers obtain State certificates; in other cases they are certified by the Diocesan Board of Education. Over 75% of the teachers in parochial schools are above the age of 25.
The 1926 statistics for Roman Catholic parochial schools are as follows : schools, 7,449; teachers, 55,155 (religious, 50,931 ; lay, ; attendance, 2,111,56o.