The Catholic School Network

The Catholic school system in NSW

• Each of the 11 Diocese of NSW is led by their respective Bishop.
• CSNSW and Catholic School Agencies report to the Bishops.
• CSNSW is the peak body for Catholic schools in NSW. Our responsibilities include advocacy, funding, compliance and education effectiveness. Learn about the role of CSNSW.
• Catholic School Agencies include the 11 Diocesan School Offices, religious orders and Public Juridic Persons* (PJPs). There are 19 Religious orders/PJPs total.
• Systemic Schools are operated by Diocesan School Offices.
• Congregational Schools (independent schools) are operated by Religious orders or PJPs.
• There are 552 systemic Catholic schools.
• There are 46 Congregational schools in NSW.

*Public Juridic Person, a Catholic legal entity established for school governance purposes.

Responsibilities

The day-to-day operational responsibility for:

• Catholic systemic schools lie with the 11 Diocesan offices
• ‘independent’ Catholic schools run by the religious institutes and PJPs lie with the individual schools.

You should address any concerns or questions to the relevant Catholic school agency or school in the first instance.