“I wonder just how much resources we are putting toward our schools, if we’re having to charge such – for many families – out-of-reach tuition (it’s no accident, I suspect, that enrollments are declining as tuition increases).”
Perhaps I should clip this and send it to our new parish school, which just opened this fall. There are still openings. Tuition is $6000 a year. (plus “fees”, uniforms, etc) No parish discount; same fee for everyone. I think you get $200 off if you have more than one child enrolled.
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Is financial aid available? It is $4500 in-parish at our parish’s school, but they will have financial aid, as well as other cost-cutting opportunities. I don’t know what it takes to qualify for the aid. There is no multiple child discount. Supposedly the tuition is what it costs to educate the child and that is why there is no discount. I am not sure what else tuition may be based on at other schools if not cost of education.
So if we had Davey in 2nd grade and Thomas in kindergarten in 2009, and rates hadn’t increased (hehe) that’d be $9000. Add in 2 or 3 more school age kids by the time Davey’s in 8th grade (2015) and it’s $18,000 or $22,500.
Glad we were genuinely interested in homeschooling anyway as I’d hate to do it just because the finances were in its favor.
I talked to one pastor of a parish with school, and he said that very few parishioners send their kids to the school and yet a goodly chunk of parish funds went to the school. So parishioners ended up subsidizing someone else’s education, which didn’t seem right to him.
How much does the gov’t spend per kid per year? I suspect it is more than $6000.
On another side, I have friends who went to BYU, and its tuition is really low for a university. I think it was 1/3 of what I was facing at ND. If we are serious about Catholic schooling, I agree we should make it affordable.
–Amanda
As kids are returning to school, parents all around me are telling me of the woes they are experiencing (from many angles) with their schools … even if I filter out my normally bad attitude about many things, I am reaching the conclusion that school is really stupid … of course, Catholic schools, like so many Catholic things, are trying to appear and act as close to the mainstream as possible not realizing that the Faith and Culture and rapidly diverging.
My old high school (Catholic) has tuition that is out of control while drumming up funds to build a new ice rink!!??? But at least they’re still producing “fine young men” if you can believe the ad on the bus shelters in town.
You know this is something that I have been genuinely disappointed by is the cost of our parish schools. Not only di they charge basically the same for all the diocesan schools, but the parish discount + the siblings discount is so minimal as to discourage large families from being able to send all their children to school there unless they have a substantial income. Yes, there are finicial aid/loan programs, but what does that say about the overall Catholic culture that they are practically discouraging large families to seek Catholic education. Also, in many parishes it is difficult to distinguish these private schools from public ones, especially with regard to sex ed.
Well, I have high hopes for the “Catholicity” of our parish school. Its existence actually makes me kind of sad that I don’t think institutional school is probably the way to go for us. If we do eventually opt to or have to send our kids to school, I expect to be very happy if we can get them in there.
HI Peony
How many Catholic families with lots of kids do they expect there. I am Australian and for my daughter in primnary school at the lcoal parchoal school, it is about $2000 Australian for the fees and they do have discounts for more than one. Is it an elite school?
I always understood a Catholic education to be a poor mans’ private one and where we live a lot of non-Catholics if there is space send their children because they like the insistence on uniforms, homework and the pastoral care. My friend who has a lot of kids says that the full fee paying non Catholics help to subsidise all of the Catholics with big famileis who can’t afford the big fees that come from having lots of kids unless they get a big discount.
Karnak
I’m flummoxed.
The cost of educating a student in our parish school is $3500 annually, plus a $100 book fee. But as member of the parish, we only pay $400 for the first child, $200 for the second and $100 for the third — ANNUALLY. Fourth child on up is free. Everybody pays the book fee, though.
I think Catholics from other parishes pay $1000 for the first chid, $800 for the second and $600 for the third. Again fourth and up is free. People who are taking RCIA pay somewhere in the middle, like $750 for the first, $500 for the second and $250 for the third. Non-Catholics pay the full tilt.
But they won’t turn anybody away. If you can’t make monthly payments, you can work off your child’s tuitition by helping the custodian, painting and repairing the building during the summer, etc. The principal will make sure your child has uniforms and other supplies. There is a uniform exchange every year, but if you can’t find something in appropriate sizes and can’t afford to buy from the uniform company, you can match the uniform colors and styles in thrift stores and discount department stores to your heart’s content. I only spent $16 or $17 to get Zooey into four warm-weather uniforms. I have to find more long pants for him, but I know I can get them at thrift stores, Target, etc.
The first Sunday of every month, there is a special collection at Mass just for teacher/staff salaries. Our parish school also has the benefit of some sort of endowment fund. Fr. W. is totally into advanced financial planning, and I think he’s got the school and parish set up to be fiscally sound for 20 years even if everybody stopped giving all at once.
I feel very, very fortunate.
Wow. Is this a diocesan thing, Sparki, or is it just your parish that has it set up this way?
Is there anything we can afford IRL? Well, that is why we started homeschooling.