Contact schools and your archdiocese to explore financial aid, grants, programs and opportunities.
The cost of a private high school education can well exceed $3,000 a year or more, according to the CATO Institute, a well-recognized research organization. Even if your locality provides school vouchers to subsidize a Catholic high school education, the actual amount can still impose a financial hardship. As noted financial aid programs are in major cities across America, contact your local Catholic high schools and archdiocese to find out if similar programs for financial aid exist where you reside.
Big Shoulders--Chicago
The Big Shoulders program provides financial aid in the form of scholarships each year to more than 5,000 students. Aid is based on need and can extend for multiple years or be renewed by application each year. The program also provides opportunities for one-time emergency financial assistance. More than 17 Catholic high schools participate in the Chicago Big Shoulders program. In addition to tuition financial assistance, students may also be eligible for free lunch or reduced cost nutrition assistance.
Catholic Education Foundation--Los Angeles and Surrounding Areas
The foundation provides financial aid to students in the greater Los Angeles area, including the Santa Barbara, San Fernando and San Gabriel regions. More than 80,000 students have received aid since 1987 through the Tuition Awards Program (TAP) and Save Our Students (SOS) programs. The program provides financial aid to more than 1,500 high school students each year, at approximately $2,000 per student.
Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP)
The MPCP program provides financial aid to low-income families so they can provide their children with a Catholic high school education. The average scholarship amount is approximately $6,500. Milwaukee-area Catholic high schools that are accredited to participate in the program include Divine Savior Holy Angels, Marquette University High School, Messmer High School and Pius XI High School.
The Archdiocese of Washington Tuition Assistance--Washington, D.C., and Maryland
Needs-based financial aid and scholarship applications are accepted by the Archdiocese of Washington to assist students pursuing a Catholic high school education in the Washington and Maryland counties of Calvert, Charles, St. Mary's, Montgomery and Prince George. The archdiocese aims to make a Catholic education as affordable as possible, and families must apply each year to receive financial aid from the archdiocese.
Additional Resource Considerations
If you do not reside in one of the cities listed in this article, that does not mean that opportunities for financial assistance do not exist where you live. Contact high school administrators, talk with representatives at your church and representatives at your nearest archdiocese to gain information on financial aid programs specific to Catholic high schools in your area.
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