Catholic Education
An excellent value
October 2008
More than 200 new students were able to enroll in Catholic schools
in the Archdiocese of Washington this fall as a result of greatly
expanded tuition assistance. Tuition aid was more than doubled, with
nearly $2 million made available for families versus $800,000 a year ago,
thanks to the generosity of donors and a new archdiocesan program. The
additional money also helped nearly 300 students at 33 Catholic schools
who could not have afforded to continue at their school, return this year.
Keeping schools affordable for families is a priority for the archdio-
cese and its parishes. That is why tuition is kept low, and on average covers
only 70 percent of the cost of educating a child. The difference is made up
through archdiocesan and parish subsidies, donations and fundraisers.
For example, at St. Jerome School in Hyattsville, the tuition paid per
child is $1,300 less than the actual cost. “I really appreciate how hard the
school, parish and archdiocese work to keep tuition affordable for par-
ents,” said Marilyn Wade, whose two children attend St. Jerome’s School.
Across all 63 archdiocesan elementary schools, each student is subsidized
an average of $1,900.
Along with being affordable, Catholic schools are a great value be-
cause students receive much more than a rigorous academic education.
With the Catholic faith as the foundation of our schools, all children learn
and live the gospel values and teachings of the Church.
This includes providing countless hours of service to their commu-
nities. Students at Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, DC
collect and deliver more than 40,000 pounds of food for families in need
every Thanksgiving. St. Martin of Tours School in Gaithersburg holds an
annual food drive to fill the parish food pantry. Last year, students collect-
ed 6,000 cans of food. To welcome Pope Benedict XVI to Washington last
April, Catholic school students throughout the archdiocese volunteered
more than 30,000 hours in