By Katie Vasquez
There’s not a seat left in Kristina Djurovic’s sixth grade class.
“It doubled,”Djurovic said. “Last year I had 15, this year I have close to 30, I have 28 and a lot of them come from public school.”
It’s part of an ongoing trend at St. Bartholomew Catholic Academy.
The Elmhurst school has seen a 20 % jump in enrollment, going from 156 to 175 students.
Grettel Dominguez, the school’s new principal, said the reason lies in the test scores.
“We actually took the scores and we compared it to the public schools that are surrounding us,” Dominguez said. “We are 40 to 50% higher than the schools surrounding us.”
But a higher standard of education is only part of the equation.
St. Bartholomew Catholic Academy strives to give kids a better learning environment.
“It’s more safe here because you know, like in public schools, you go out and get stuff from your locker, you might get bullied, like here there’s not really time for bullying,” Isaiah Peralta, a student at the school, said.
Everyone is supported at this Catholic academy.
When a 3rd grade classroom needed a teacher, Principal Dominguez stepped in.
“My dream has always been to help and support students and their families,” Dominguez said.
Part of that support includes helping immigrant families as the city continues to struggle with a migrant crisis.
“They won’t have the documentation needed,” Dominguez said. “They might not have a social security card. They think that there’s, you know, no scholarships. They’re not well informed.”
Ms. Dominguez believes in the value of a Catholic education and she’s committed to continuing raising her student numbers.
“Making announcements after mass, we’ve been advertising in Queens Center Mall, [and] sending out flyers,” she said. “I actually paid a visit during the summer to the different daycare centers, Pre-K centers, just leaving flyers, [and] meeting with educational directors.”
Her goal is to get more than 200 students next year.
If you’re interested in sending your children to Catholic school just visit CATHOLICSCHOOLSBQ.ORG or call 718-965-7380 for more information.