When entering any of the 15 Diocese of Venice Catholic schools you will find a bustling hive of activity, and see images of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary everywhere.
The children, in their uniforms – sports jacket, tie and slacks, or a polo shirt and tan pants – are smiling as they go from classroom to classroom eager for the next lesson.
In the classrooms, whether at desks, or in laboratories, students are challenged to learn in a way that is both enriching and fun, in a cooperative environment.
All Diocesan Catholic schools work conscientiously to provide Christ-centered learning experiences that are transferable to the real world, and to provide the opportunity for children to develop life-long learning skills which lead to success beyond the classroom.
Because of this, Diocesan enrollment for the 2025-2026 Academic Year has reached 6,643 students. That is an increase of 49% since 2020.
“We are full up with nearly every school at capacity,” Father John Belmonte, SJ, Diocese of Venice Superintendent of Catholic Education, said. “Enrollment numbers are a reflection of how we educate young people for excellence and seek to produce the next generation of leaders for the Church and the world.”
While some of the enrollment increase has been due to the expansion of school choice scholarships through the Florida Step Up For Students program, Father Belmonte said it is much more.
“It was once a well-kept secret that Diocese of Venice Catholic schools provide a top-notch education at all grade levels, but there are exciting things happening in our schools and families are taking notice,” Father Belmonte said.
Most crucially has been the support of Bishop Frank J. Dewane behind a variety of initiatives to help bolster enrollment in the past several years. This includes a curriculum called “The Gifts of Christ: Truth, Beauty, Goodness, Affability, Fortitude, Humility, and Prudence,” a robotics program, expanding the scope of the STREAM model (science, technology, religion, engineering, arts and math), into the classroom.
Bishop Dewane said the increased enrollment is impressive and that he is humbled knowing that more families are putting their trust in the Diocese to educate their children.
“I want to thank all of the parents who have put their confidence in Diocesan Catholics schools, whether they are new to our schools or have been connected to our schools for many years,” Bishop Dewane said. “We have gained this trust by having Christ at the center of everything.”
Bishop Dewane stressed how the increased numbers of students does not lower the standards of Catholic education within the Diocese. To this end, there is a renewed emphasis on Diocesan Catholic Curriculum Standards, which were first implemented in 2018 and were updated for the new school year.
“Religion and faith permeate everything we do,” the Bishop said. “We are integrating faith across the disciplines, so our students know it and live it.”
One school which saw a dramatic increase this year is Donahue Academy of Ave Maria Catholic School in Ave Maria, which saw an increase of 175 students. This was thanks to the availability of additional capacity. New portable classrooms allowed enrollment to expand to 580, up from 264 in 2020.
“At Donahue Academy, we are so blessed to offer a ‘Donahue education’ to 175 new students,” Dr. Marc Snyder, Principal of Donahue Academy said. “What a blessing to be able to ‘open wide the doors to Christ’ to so many new students, forming them into the next generation of saints. Donahue is thrilled to not only bring so many new students to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, but to be able to provide them with the same high quality academic education. We feel incredibly humble and grateful and express our gratitude to Bishop Dewane and the Education Office for helping to make these expansions possible.”
Enrollment at St. Andrew Catholic School in Cape Coral has jumped 50% to 623 students since 2020, and Principal Bambi Giles said the influx of new students and families has benefited the entire community.
“St. Andrew is truly blessed each day as we fulfill our mission to ‘Build in Faith, Hearts and Minds,’” Giles said. “We consistently maintain strong enrollment and waitlist numbers, receiving daily inquiries about available open seats across the grade levels. St. Andrew continues to deliver exceptional Catholic education which stems from our teachers’ deep commitment to nurturing the whole child while keeping Christ central to everything we do. Our teachers encourage critical thinking, problem solving and creativity. The Diocesan Curriculum standards and Gifts of Christ combine to prepare students to become real-world problem solvers, witnesses of faith and leaders who serve. Students and families deeply value the exceptional Catholic learning experience we provide.”
Principal Micah O’Connor at St. Ann Catholic School in Naples it is a blessing to se the school grow and how so many families choose St. Ann for their children’s education, as they seek a place where faith and learning go hand in hand.
“This is my second year as principal at Saint Ann, and one of the most remarkable accomplishments this year is our increase in enrollment,” O’Connor explained. “We currently have 555 students enrolled, which is 60 more students than last year. This growth reflects the commitment of families to our mission and our strong reputation for Catholic education within the community. The positive feedback from our parents demonstrates their appreciation for the academic excellence their children are receiving and their spiritual growth.”
Father Belmonte said, “This culture is the vision, values, systems, language, expectations, behaviors, and beliefs that increase a school’s and Diocese’s chances of accomplishing the strategy of fulfilling its mission: to introduce the world to its Savior. That is at the core of what we do, each and every day, and judging by the enrollment numbers, the parents value that by entrusting their children to our schools.”
For more information about Diocesan Catholic schools, please visit www.dioceseofvenice.org/education.
