ABSTRACT
This chapter explores that Catholic schools contribute in a very significant way to achieving the fourth of the Sustainable Development Goals – ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all. It documents the trends in enrolment in Catholic schools using data from the annual statistical yearbooks of the Church. The chapter discusses some of the specific contributions made by Catholic schools that benefit students and their families, as well as communities and broader societies. It briefly mentions some of the concerns that are emerging from the COVID-19 crisis. In many ways, Catholic schools appear to have done comparatively well. Catholic schools in countries that do not provide financial support to the schools are especially vulnerable, because the economic crisis has weakened the ability of parents to pay for the education they want to give to their children.
