In 20 years, a Catholic school might be one of the few places where a young person will be taught that human beings are created male and female. In that sense, the value of a Catholic education is becoming easier to evaluate — and so is the responsibility of Catholic schools.
The responsibility of a Catholic school is to form young people in a true vision of the world. That vision is given in Christ, who reveals God to us while also revealing us to ourselves. The responsibility to this vision does not excuse a Catholic school from educating its students in the arts and sciences, or from preparing its students for further education and meaningful work. Instead, Catholic schools are even more responsible for these things precisely because they are responsible to the vision given in Christ. Catholic education seeks nothing short of human flourishing. In sum, Catholic schools exist to educate the whole person and to provide an education that contemplates the full meaning of the human person and the ultimate meaning of the world as God’s creation.
Check out my book on Catholic formation and education, What Matters Most.