; 16.1 percent Hispanic/Latino; 17.4 percent non-Catholic; Whereas the Catholic high school graduation rate is 99 percent, with 87 percent of graduates attending 4-year colleges; Whereas, in the 1972 pastoral message concerning Catholic education, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops stated, “Education is one of the most important ways by which the Church fulfills its commitment to the dignity of the person and building of community. Community is central to education ministry, both as a necessary condition and an ardently desired goal. The educational efforts of the Church, therefore, must be directed to forming persons-in-community; for the education of the individual Christian is important not only to his solitary destiny, but also the destinies of the many communities in which he lives.”; Whereas the week of January 29, 2017, to February 4, 2017, has been designated as National Catholic Schools Week by the National Catholic Educational Association and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and February 1, 2017, as National Appreciation Day for Catholic Schools; Whereas National Catholic Schools Week was first established in 1974 and has been celebrated annually for the past 43 years; Whereas, while some Catholic schools are challenged by declining enrollments and school closures, the good news is that there is a strong demand and enthusiasm for Catholic schools; Whereas 32 percent of Catholic schools have waiting lists for admission and new schools are opening across the country; and Whereas the theme for National Catholic Schools Week 2017 is Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service: Now, therefore, be it