New London — At St. Joseph School on Squire Street, the last Catholic school in the city, a sign near the entranceway states a guiding tenet: "What Children Believe is Just as Important as What They Know." 

And, unlike in public schools, belief in God is a big part of every day here.

In fact, every morning starts with a 20-minute prayer service in which children from kindergarten through eighth grade gather in their school uniforms to read scripture and sing hymns.

But during a gathering in the school gymnasium earlier this month, one thing became clear: not only are the kids in kindergarten through second grade small; their class sizes don't quite measure up to the higher grades, either.

In fact, these classes are about half the size of those typically seen at St. Joseph, which was founded in 1937.

"The primary grades are smaller than normal," said Principal Marianne Cote, who has been with St. Joseph for nearly three decades and almost 18 years as head of the school.

Cote said the school is trying to become more aware of marketing, with plans to update the St. Joseph website and spend more time promoting its Facebook page.

The school had one open house in the fall and plans a second in January.

"If people come in and see who we are and what we do, they are sold," Cote said.

While 22 is the biggest class at St. Joseph, kindergarteners number only eight and the first grade is made up of only 10 students.

The school, which had enrolled as many as 226 three years ago, when nearby St. Mary Star of the Sea School closed, now has only 143 students.

That's down from 161 students a year ago, more than a 10 percent decrease. Looking over the past three years, the drop is an even steeper 37 percent.

According to a 2013 article in the Scholars Strategy Network, declining enrollment in Catholic schools is a national trend.

While more than 13,000 Catholic schools accounted for 12 percent of U.S. schoolchildren half a century ago, there are now fewer than 7,000 Catholic schools educating only 5 percent of the population, the article said.

Cote said part of the issue can be traced to lower enrollment throughout the region for the younger age groups, while some of the decline may be related to the economic problems of the area.

In addition, Cote said the new appeal of magnet schools and the perception that having all the latest technology is a must today may be eating into the luster of Catholic schools locally.

"There are a lot more options," said Gillian Egan of New London, who has three children at St. Joseph.

A lot of parents these days are hyper-focused on math and science, Cote said, and the facilities and offerings at the new magnet schools in the region look alluring.

"We use technology not for the sake of technology, but for the sake of learning," Cote said. "We promote music and art and drama ... We feel children at this age need more of a liberal arts education."

Cote contends that religion helps instill values, and service is a big part of what the school teaches children.

In addition, she said, each class puts on a play once a month, giving everyone a chance to shine and gain self-confidence.

"We believe that everybody has a gift to develop and promote," Cote said.

Catholic schools are not required to administer the mastery tests that Connecticut's public schools must use to determine how well their students are doing in relationship to national norms.

Instead, Cote said, the diocese uses the traditional Iowa Tests that many parents remember from their school days, and St. Joseph student results are quite positive.

"We're not teaching to the test," Cote said. "We're using the test more diagnostically to see where we can improve instruction."

Parents said they really appreciate in this era of political correctness that St. Joseph School is willing to integrate religious values and faith into its school day.

"It's what the world should be like," said Sunshine Marcille, whose son Nolan, 10, currently attends St. Joseph. "You truly are a family. Everyone does look out for one another."

"She loves to go to school and learn," added Alex Kimball, whose 10-year-old daughter, Isabella, currently attends St. Joseph even though he is Episcopalian. "It's giving her such a solid foundation."

Egan, whose son, Kyle, and daughters, Leah and Abbey, attend St. Joseph currently, said she likes the school's book-buddy system in which older students are paired with younger kids to work on reading and writing.

"It's more than just a school; it's a community you get," Egan said.

During the morning prayer service, second-graders were in charge of readings and placing ornaments on a tree. In the back of the room, about 10 parents looked on — a familiar sight every morning at the school.

This day, the story of Elizabeth and Zechariah is told. The older couple, cousins to Jesus, miraculously had a baby who became John the Baptist, according to scripture.

"We pray in a special way for our school family, our families at home and our community in New London and for the world," Cote said during the service. "Be good to each other, be good to your family, be good to your teachers."

Shannon Brenek, who met husband Steve at St. Bernard High School in Montville, said in a speech to the school earlier in the year that her children, Jackson and Bode, attend St. Joseph partly because the Breneks believe lasting relationships are fostered by spiritual education.

"We were taught how to nurture those relationships," she said. "And we want those relationships for our children."

Though most of the school is made up of Catholic families, Cote said about 25 students belong to other Christian denominations. Nearly a quarter of the school is made up of Latinos, she added.

Tuition paid by families that belong to Catholic parishes is $3,325 a year — far less than it takes to educate a public-school student. Non-Catholics pay $4,275 a year.

Financial aid is available to offset some costs.

Students who make it through St. Joseph's and go on to the Catholic high school St. Bernard can get a generous reduction in their tuition during their high school years, Cote said.

The school is bolstered by an endowment, and this year St. Joseph had to dig into the fund a bit, Cote acknowledged. That's not a trend she wants to continue.

"Hopefully we can maintain and rebuild," Cote said.

The school is made up of nine classrooms — one for every grade, including kindergarten — along with a library and the gymnasium, where fourth-graders shortly after the prayer service could be seen rehearsing their Christmas play.

The high-ceilinged building has wide hallways, where the echoes of children can be heard as they pass by their principal, saying in singsong unison, "Good morning, Miss Cote."

Cote, who has been known to play and sing folk songs and religious music on her guitar, said she would like to get the school's enrollment back up to about 200.

The Catholic education students get, she said, is good preparation for their later years because of its emphasis on good study skills and organization.

"Our mission is to welcome everyone who wants to be part of this school," she said. "We want to educate the whole child."

l.howard@theday.com

Twitter: @KingstonLeeHow