Catholic School Tuition

[eliza3b]

hi eliza where in jersey are you? i grew up in bergen county.

excellent post – good points.

I sent you a PM.

 

[Em_in_FL]

parish tithing also can provide subsidies for tuition at regional schools and high schools, in a sort of voucher system.

CAN… but not all parishes run their schools that way… unfortunately…
Actually, our parish school requires that we do give to the parish (not tithe, but still financially participate) in addition to the tuition requirements…

 

[ribbit]

I live near a major rust belt city. My parish k-8 school is $3k per year. The catholic high schools around me are $16k or more per year. Even if you could afford $3k, how many can actually afford over 5 times that?

 

[OutinChgoburbs]

I was the one who commented on the $15k–which was a rough estimate.

For the poster talking about Tampa Bay–if you exceed a certain income, which my dh and I do, financial assistance is not that forthcoming.

Three Catholic high schools in Tampa Bay area:

Academy of Holy Names-- $13,660 per year/per student–and this is ONLY tuition, not uniforms, and extras…There are discounts for sending more than one child, but my son is the only one in high school, as of now.

Jesuit Academy and Tampa Catholic are up there as well–and again, offer financial assistance if you are eligible.

I researched sending our kids to Catholic school, before our move to Florida–and these were some of the findings. Elem and middle were more feasible, but not remotely close to where we live. We reside 15 miles north of Tampa–and with traffic, etc…it might take 2 hours one way, to transport to one of these schools. It’s definitely more expensive here in Florida for private schools in general–not just Catholic. I have a few friends who send their kids to private ‘Christian’ schools, and wow…the tuition is over $15k in some cases. So, it’s not a Catholic thing here in Florida, it’s a privatization thing.

As I said when annie was asking about Florida Catholic schools-

I just did the research off the Internet. I noticed A LOT of Catholic schools don’t even post their tuition and fees rates. The attitude I perceived for a lot of them was, “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it.”

We will not be moving to Florida any time soon.

 

[PaulinVA]

This is for the closest Catholic school to us. Our parish doesn’t have a school:

                     Parishioner  	Non Parishioner

1 child $3960 ($396/ mo) $6710 ($671/mo)
2 children $6710 ($671/mo) $9130 ($913/mo)
3 children $9130 ($913/mo) $10560 ($1056/mo)

sorry for the ugly table.

 

[YADA]

For those who have posted …

Do your parish schools have an endowment fund that helps to offset tuition costs? If not, have you considered starting one?

What kind of fund raisers do your parishes have?

Does your [arch] diocese provide any support?

I have to say that my grandson’s parish school has an endowment that subsidizes the school operating costs which then helps keep tuition costs down. The parish collection provides about 18% of operating costs. The diocese provides tuition assistance - roughly $500 per student.

Parents are required to assist in fundraising hours each year [or opt out by paying additional funds directly - and some do]. Non catholic parents who are lucky enough to find an opening in the school pay nearly twice what any parishioner student. Students can receive very generous scholarships [needs based].

Public schools here seem to sponsor as many “fund raisers” as our local parish - they even have endowment funds - so sending your children to public schools does not mean that there are no fundraisers - However, they are [probably] less able to enforce parental participation though.

I agree that ‘tithing’ is the answer to many of the money woes at parishes [both those with and without the schools]. Adult education s also a key to an educated christian but alas that too takes funds and volunteers … Time Talent and Treasure -

Tithing seems to be a “bad” word in catholic circles, I have not quite figured out why. Catholics have traditionally kept us the bottom of the “contribution” chart … this used to be a function of the social economics of catholics in US society … but alas after WWII [and the GI Bill - catholics represented a greater percentage of the military than they did the general population and benefited greatly by the oportunity to gain higher education sooner rather than later ] catholics made a fast [meteoric] rise in economic standing that never translated into increased contributions at Mass.

That said most of the parish schools were built [bingo and bake sales] by poor immigrant families [parish schools and even those built by orders]. While religious [nuns, brothers and priests] in greater numbers kept salary costs to a minimum, those families had to sacrifice to support parishes and schools, from the construction to the day to day operations …

We [the catholics of today] seem to have lost that same sense of importance and dedication to a catholic education and even to the church in general.

Even here on the forums, discussions about parish support garner little interest and “tithing” * is an old testiment idea that has no place in the catholic church of today.

What can each of us independently do to make our catholic schools more affordable and better [for those who have poor schools]?

Support tuition scholarships, discuss parish and school support [so our priests don;t have to go ‘begging’ for dollars] with our fellow parishioners? Star an endowment, buy that raffle ticket, pledge during a jog-a-thon, attend the spaghetti dinner, …?*

 

[YADA]

How about:

A letter writing campaign to get tuition costs deductable [like college tuition] …

Or vouchers for every school parent to take to the school of their choice …

If catholics would unite and speak in a unified voice [and be joined by some of our other christian brethren [who also send their children to church related schools] and those who support Charter Schools we coulld actually see positive results along these lines …

 

[Lovemyfaith]

How about:

A letter writing campaign to get tuition costs deductable [like college tuition] …

Or vouchers for every school parent to take to the school of their choice …

If catholics would unite and speak in a unified voice [and be joined by some of our other christian brethren [who also send their children to church related schools] and those who support Charter Schools we coulld actually see positive results along these lines …

100% YADA
My children are no longer in our parish school, but I still give as much as possilbe to the parish because I know the parish subsidy to the school depends on those contributions. I support catholic schools in anyway, I think they give kids a great start. Personally I did not go to catholic school and trying to catch up to my kids now is tough. It is like trying to learn a language as an adult or child. I am also so proud of on of the reason that catholic schools were started, to educate catholics that were being refused an education.
I encourage all parents who feel they can not afford tuition to go to their pastor and be prepared to work out something. Our diocese has BLOC programs that sponsor students; I know a woman who works at a supermarket that pays for her kids tuition as a part of BLOC. Our parish has a Christmas Giving Tree and several ornaments are a year’s tuition. If you can find it in your budget and your heart, that is another way to help.

 

[OutinChgoburbs]

For those who have posted …

Do your parish schools have an endowment fund that helps to offset tuition costs? Yes we do. If not, have you considered starting one?

What kind of fund raisers do your parishes have? A drawdown raffle with a dinner and auction; and a chocolate and mag sale.

Does your [arch] diocese provide any support? YES. United in Faith Campaign raised the capital for such activity, and there is a local Catholic group that helps fund tuition at the various schools.

Public schools here seem to sponsor as many “fund raisers” as our local parish - they even have endowment funds - so sending your children to public schools does not mean that there are no fundraisers - However, they are [probably] less able to enforce parental participation though. I’ve noticed this. And in our area, the public schools charge a registration fee, and a usage fee, lab fees, etc.

Tithing seems to be a “bad” word in catholic circles, I have not quite figured out why. 1.) Because the word has gained a Protestant notation. 2.) Because for years, Catholics were poor or middle class, and couldn’t afford it. They were told to contribute what they could. 3.) Because it hasn’t been taught properly. Back to that adult education thing again.

 

[YADA]

Hello OutintheChicago friend … Hows the Hubby? We are still praying for you guys! You ‘get’ it, we’ve shared many a discussion …

Our parish will make a pulpit appeal for tuition assistance, jog-a-thon, endowment [which has a fundraiser dinner ach year], annual silent and oral auction, scrip sales, poinsetta sales, straight donations, etc …

School and parish support are very important … stewardship needs to become a priority of the laity … it is what will make the Church stronger. Vocations and faith filled Cristians … when we [the laity] place value and importance on our parishes and schools then we will see increases in vocations and a laity that sees itself as a life long Christian learner … it starts with our children …

We need to openly promote our parishes and our clergy and our schools …

I did not attend a parish school … I was not raised catholic …

When I was in school [over thirty years ago] we often times had the “catholic” school kids who came to the public high school from the local catholic grade school … in my experience -they were academically ahead of their public school peers, nearly everyone of them! … This is a treasure that needs to be cared for.

What a sadness that in a town south of where I live the local parish school clesed about three years ago and today most of the ‘catholic’ kids are in the public schools with a few attending a local “Lutheran” school - while that may be better than the public school it is not ‘catholic’ …

 

[armywife]

I know I’ve posted about Wichita before, but since the topic came up… just move to Kansas:thumbsup: The average collection in a poor parish is around 12K and the wealthy parishes are 75K with all amounts in between. For high shool, your tithe comes through your home parish. Below is from the Wichita diocese website www.cdowk.org

"In the Diocese of Wichita, we are committed to stewardship as a total way of life for every activity that makes up parish life… In the stewardship way of life, Catholic schools are parochial; they are funded by the entire parish. They are not private schools that are owned and operated by those who use them. Therefore, every parish family is encouraged to contribute eight percent of their income to the parish

In the Catholic Diocese of Wichita, a Catholic education is available to all active stewardship families. As far as we know, the Diocese of Wichita is the only diocese in the United States where every child of active parish stewards can attend Catholic grade and high school without paying tuition."

Granted there are school fundraisers, but we’re not “required” to participate.

 

[AHapka]

I’m on my parish finance committee, and we are probably going up to $2600 next year. Guess that’s still cheap or at least in line with what many of you are paying (also $150 registration and $175 book and materials).

Two kids will be $4520
Three and up will be $5560

For non-members it’ll be (4074/7948/11822 (for 1/2/3+ kids).

Our school runs a deficit of roughly $160K per year which need to be made up by parish subsidy. Unfortunately, with parish contributions going down, I don’t see any solution but tuition going up at a good percentage every year.

Andy

 

[whatevergirl]

I’m on my parish finance committee, and we are probably going up to $2600 next year. Guess that’s still cheap or at least in line with what many of you are paying (also $150 registration and $175 book and materials).

Two kids will be $4520
Three and up will be $5560

For non-members it’ll be (4074/7948/11822 (for 1/2/3+ kids).

Our school runs a deficit of roughly $160K per year which need to be made up by parish subsidy. Unfortunately, with parish contributions going down, I don’t see any solution but tuition going up at a good percentage every year.

Andy

Maybe we need to move to WI!

 

[HouseArrest]

I completely agree with you Paul on this issue. Have you read Steve Kellmeyer’s book on this topic? It’s called Catholic Education in America: Designed to Fail

His main thesis is that Jesus cathecized adults, not children. It’s adults who will pass on the faith to their children. Not vice versa. By focusing on the children through a parish school, the parish loses it’s abilitity to reach out to adults, and the parish schools are an enormous drain on the finances of the parish, especially if the number of children attending the school represents a small minority of the parish population.

Our parochial schools in Northern NJ are struggling. There just isn’t the demand for them that there once was and the public schools are considered very good if not excellent. We also pay extremely high property taxes which make Catholic school not an option for your average middle and upper income family, who will have to pay thousands of dollars in tuition on top of property taxes which fund the public school. People tend to vote with their pocket books.

I don’t see how starting with adults with no background is going to work. Sure, I needed and learned a lot of math in college to become an engineer, but I would not have been able to do that without the basics, like adding. So my adding training was irrelevant? And how would I even have known about math when I was 18 to decide to pursue it if I hadn’t been exposed to it?

 

[PaulinVA]

I don’t see how starting with adults with no background is going to work. Sure, I needed and learned a lot of math in college to become an engineer, but I would not have been able to do that without the basics, like adding. So my adding training was irrelevant? And how would I even have known about math when I was 18 to decide to pursue it if I hadn’t been exposed to it?

We are talking emphasis here. Continue Religious Ed for the children.

Properly catechized adults teach their children the right things, live the right way, are a proper example.

Teaching children about the faith while their parents aren’t living their faith or don’t have an understanding of their faith isn’t very successful, is it?

 

[HouseArrest]

We are talking emphasis here. Continue Religious Ed for the children.

Properly catechized adults teach their children the right things, live the right way, are a proper example.

Teaching children about the faith while their parents aren’t living their faith or don’t have an understanding of their faith isn’t very successful, is it?

We’ve actually had entire families convert/revert to Catholicism while their children were at our school. I don’t know why the came, but they weren’t Catholic when they got here, but are Catholic now. I just am not seeing the same thing happen with our REP kids. It is not working at all. We do have some lukewarm families that have children that attend the school, but they seem to have a better record of turning their parents around or at least getting themselves to Mass.

I understand you’re trying to say we need to “break the cycle”. But around here, we’ve got 120 kids willing to come to 35+ hours of Catholic (elementary, add some for HS) education a week. We have to beg 300+ to attend about 20 hours of catechism a week. Adult education classes are attended by just a handful. I just don’t see letting down the kids at school to offer “more” to the adults who aren’t coming to what we have now. How would you get them to come?

 

[dontknow]

Apparently the Catholic Schools are working somewhere. That’s good to hear.

Where I live they are closing left & right.

In my opinion, regardless of school choice, the examples of how to live a Catholic life, begins at home.

 

[PaulinVA]

I understand you’re trying to say we need to “break the cycle”. But around here, we’ve got 120 kids willing to come to 35+ hours of Catholic (elementary, add some for HS) education a week. We have to beg 300+ to attend about 20 hours of catechism a week. Adult education classes are attended by just a handful. I just don’t see letting down the kids at school to offer “more” to the adults who aren’t coming to what we have now. How would you get them to come?

Well, that is the question. How do you get adults to want to learn more about their faith?

I am not at all saying that the children should be abandoned or that their programs shouldn’t get the proper emphasis. But, the witness of children should not be bringing parents to the faith. It should be the other way around.

What I am saying is that adult religious education should be everywhere. It should be taught from the pulpit, it should be taught in the bulletin, it should be taught in classes. Priests are so afraid to alienate anyone that they don’t teach anything.

Would you agree that the majority of Catholics stop their education at the end of Religious Ed or Catholic elementary school and go through life with an eighth-graders view of the Church?

 

[mom4truth]

I don’t know if I’m on the right thread, so someone please direct me. I’d like to say that my son’s tuition is $7,600 for one year. Does not include $350 for registration, and books are at least $250 dollars. More like $350. Also, we are required to submit $250 for sports participation. You will be reimbursed if you volunteer at school activities/fund raisers. Just this past Friday the students were asked to donate $50 for a “bowl-a-fund”. The proceeds would go the improvement of the school grounds, etc. If the student brought $50 in, he/she would have a “jeans” day. I did not donate the $50. My son could not wear jeans. Catholic school tuition? I don’t get it. Is it only for the privileged? Tuition is atrocious. Catholic schooling should be for those who truly desire a Catholic “teaching” as well as education. “Faith” formation, I would think, would be the priority! What gives?

 

[DJgang]

Non-Catholic tuition last year was, all in all, $4600.00 for my first grade son.

This year, as a Catholic, I will have my oldest and one in 4k and it will be around $4200.00.