OUR CAUSE: PRESERVING THE LEGACY OF CATHOLIC EDUCATION

“Renew a Right Spirit in Me”

— PSALM 51:10

Revitalizing Faith and Education

Catholic education has the power to renew and transform families, communities and the world when students have a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. The future of our Church depends on Catholic education. The CARA (Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate) report shows that over 48% of ordinands attended a Catholic elementary school and data indicates that women who attended a Catholic elementary school are three times more likely to consider becoming religious sisters compared to those without access to early Catholic education. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange educates nearly 11,800 students annually in 27 elementary schools.

While most of these schools are doing fine and maintaining enrollment, many have seen a decline in the number of students. Pax Christi Academies was formed to manage five schools located in North Orange County where the combined enrollment has declined by almost 50% over the last 10 years. While enrollment at Pax Christi schools has reduced, this doesn’t reflect a lack of interest from families in raising the next generation within the Catholic faith. In fact, the high participation in youth and faith formation ministries in these communities reveals an opportunity to welcome more students into the Catholic schools in these areas.

Data-Driven Excellence: A Strategic Approach to Growth and Success

By leveraging data to establish measurable metrics, Pax Christi Academies’ leadership can swiftly and effectively pinpoint areas for growth, mitigate risks, and implement targeted solutions. This approach allows for data-driven decisions to support program success, enhance individual student performance, analyze enrollment patterns, and evaluate faculty effectiveness. Also, bringing all five schools under one corporation encourages collaboration and best practices among the principals and teachers, and allows economies of scale and purchasing power, elevating all schools to ultimately benefit the students.

Moving Forward Together

Working together to enhance the long-term sustainability and legacy of our Catholic schools is vital. Over the next five years, Pax Christi Academies’ goals are to:

  • Increase enrollment at the five Pax Christi Academies schools from 1,000 to 1,500

  • Incorporate curriculum that focuses on the Four Pillars

  • Ensure campus facilities are safe, state-of-the-art, and equipped with resources that elevate the student experience

  • Offer teachers a competitive salary that mirrors public education salaries

  • Re-open closed schools to begin forming more souls

  • Establish an endowment to sustain current and future education for students.

The traditional governance model, where the principal reports directly to the pastor, has worked well for some schools. But in a new era of Catholic education, other schools need a new approach.

Under the Pax Christi Academies model, school principals report to the Pax Christi Academies president, and the president reports to a governing Board of Directors, a streamlined model that achieves flexibility and implementation of swift solutions.

Governance Education

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PAX CHRISTI ACADEMIES PRESIDENT

SCHOOL PRINCIPALS

Enrollment
Open schools – increase
enrollment to 95%

Increase teacher salaries
to be more competitive with
public school salaries

Focus on continual
improvement and frequently
test each student’s progress
towards his/her goals

“Pax Christi Academies’ commitment to blending strong academics with our Catholic faith, foster both intellectual and spiritual growth, while nurturing a virtuous life. This represents our pledge to form saints under Pax Christi’s Four Pillars.”

DR. CHRISTINA ARELLANO
PRESIDENT, PAX CHRISTI ACADEMIES