The Catholic schools were a lifeline out in my hometown of Paterson for so many. Almost every single person I knew that had the opportunity to go advanced their station in life.
It's a shame so many of have shut their doors due to lack of enrollment.
When you grow up in Paterson and Eastside or Kennedy (depending on which part of Paterson you live in) were your only options, a place like Paterson Catholic was a beacon of hope.
The education level was 10x the public schools, the number of kids headed to college was around 95% while Paterson public schools were around 40%, SAT scores, Highschool proficiency test, ACTs consistently were in the top quarter of all schools in NJ, while the Paterson public schools performed so badly the state eventually came in and took over... Paterson Catholic was an oasis in the middle of madness.
Ironically I was kicked out for fighting a few times but most had a better grasp of the opportunity they were getting than I did at the time.