In the early 1960s, parochial education was at its peak in the U.S. with more than 5 million students enrolled in nearly 13,000 Catholic schools nationwide.

Since then, enrollment has fallen steadily as church attendance has dropped and more families bypass Catholic schools in favor of public schools. Last year, only about 1.8 million students enrolled in less than 6,300 schools, according to the National Catholic Educational Association’s annual report.

That means more Catholic schools -- including some in New Jersey -- are shutting down or combining with nearby schools as enrollment continues to fall.

At least seven Catholic schools in New Jersey are facing major changes this year as they prepare to close, merge or rebrand themselves at the end of the current school year.

Here are the changes that have been announced by New Jersey’s Catholic dioceses:

St. Joseph School (closing)

Location: Mendham, Morris County (Diocese of Paterson)

What happened?: School officials announced earlier this year that St. Joseph School would close at the end of the 2018-2019 school year due to declining enrollment. Parents and benefactors had been raising money through a “We are St. Joe’s” fundraising campaign to save the beloved school, but church officials said it wasn’t enough. “This is an exceedingly emotional and difficult time for us all,” Monsignor Joseph Anginoli and Principal Lori Arends said in a letter to families.

Enrollment: The projected enrollment for the 2019-2020 school year was 75 students at the Pre-K to 8th grade school, not enough to keep the school open, diocese officials said.

Saint Brendan School and the Academy of St. James (merging)

Location: Clifton and Totowa, Passaic County (Diocese of Paterson)

What happened?: Saint Brendan School is closing its doors in Clifton after 73 years due to falling enrollment, but it won’t disappear. The school will merge with the Academy of St. James in Totowa, which is also having enrollment problems, diocese officials said. The newly-merged Academy of St. James and St. Brendan will open in St. James’ existing building in Totowa in September. "This consolidation will help to support a healthy enrollment, viability and sustainability of the new school model for the future,” said Mary Baier, diocesan superintendent of schools.

Enrollment: Saint Brendan School currently enrolls 182 students and the Academy of Saint James enrolls 192 students, diocese officials said.

Holy Innocents School (closing)

Location: Neptune, Monmouth County (Diocese of Trenton)

What happened?: Falling enrollment at Holy Innocents School was putting a financial strain on the Neptune parish, which has resulted in a “large debt to the diocese,” the Rev. H. Todd Carter said in a message to his parish in November. Carter said church leaders looked for alternatives to closing the school, which has been open for more than 50 years, but no other options were found. He thanked those who helped keep the school going, including the principal and the lay teachers, "who are some of the best and most professional people I know,” Carter wrote.

Enrollment: School enrollment dropped to 93 students this year, less than half of the 200 students school officials said would be the minimum to have a sustainable school.

St. Aloysius School and St. Veronica School (merging)

Location: Jackson, Ocean County, and Howell, Monmouth County (Diocese of Trenton)

What happened?: Two schools -- St. Aloysius in Jackson and St. Veronica in Howell -- are merging to form Mother Seton Academy, the diocese announced earlier this year. The new school will enroll pre-K to 8th grade students and be run by both parishes, but it will be located in Howell. The merger of the two schools, which are about three miles apart, will allow the parishes to pool their resources, diocese officials said. “It is both commendable and inspiring that these two parishes are going to work together to ensure the continued health of Catholic education for the children in their communities and those throughout the area," said JoAnn Tier, diocesan superintendent of schools.

Enrollment: The two schools have a current combined pre-K through 8 enrollment of more than 350 students, diocese officials said.

All Saints Regional Catholic School (transitioning to a parish school/ renamed)

Location: Manahawkin, Ocean County (Diocese of Trenton)

What happened?: All Saints Regional Catholic School has spent the last 20 years as a regional school, enrolling pre-K to 8th grade students from five parishes in Barnegat, Whiting, Forked River, Brant Beach and Little Egg Harbor. After this school year, the regional model will be dropped and the school will reopen as St. Mary Academy, the parish school of St. Mary Parish in Barnegat. It will remain on the same Manahawkin property. “We have a lot of students from our parish attending the school and are deeply invested in its success, so the transition makes sense,” said Monsignor Ken Tuzeneu, pastor of St. Mary Parish. The other parishes can continue sending students to the school, but they will no longer oversee the school, diocese officials said. Parish officials say they hope the changes will create steady financial support for the school.

What about New Jersey’s other dioceses?

The Diocese of Metuchen, Diocese of Camden and the Archdiocese of Newark said they have no plans to close or merge any schools at the end of the current school year.

Which New Jersey Catholic schools have closed in the last few years?

The 2019 closures and mergers come after years of similar changes to New Jersey’s Catholic schools. There have been dozens of closures over the last decade, including: St. Catherine of Bologna School in Ringwood, St. Andrew the Apostle School in Clifton, St. Pius X School in Montville, Queen of Peace High School in North Arlington, St. Agnes School in Clark, Saints Mary and Elizabeth Academy in Linden, Blessed Pope John XXIII Academy in West Orange, Most Sacred Heart of Jesus School in Wallington and many more.

The 2017 closure of St. Anthony High School in Jersey City after 65 years made national headlines because it was home to a legendary basketball team that won 28 state titles under head coach Bob Hurley Sr.

Other Catholic schools facing closure in recent years -- including Immaculate Conception High School in Montclair, Marist High School in Bayonne and Holy Cross Academy in Delran -- underwent successful fundraising campaigns that kept the schools open.

Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KellyHeyboer. Find her at KellyHeyboerReporter on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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