There are now far fewer students attending Catholic schools than there were decades ago, but how did Catholic schools come to price middle-income families out? The obvious explanation is a decline in religious vocations and the subsequent disappearance of low-cost labor from priests, nuns, and brothers on staff. in The National Catholic Educational Association reports that in 1960, 74 percent of school staff were members of religious orders or clergy; by 2017, religious staff represented less than 3 percent and lay staff now constitute nearly all staff in Catholic schools. Read more about why the middle class can’t afford Catholic school anymore on EdNext.org.

—Education Next