Affordability

The gift of a Catholic education is within reach.

The gift of a Catholic education is within reach, and can easily be a reality for your children. As a product of Catholic schools and a noted teacher of the faith, Cardinal Donald Wuerl has emphasized that all Catholics play an important role in strengthening and sustaining Catholic education for the future, so Christ's Good News can transform hearts and change our world, now and for generations to come.

For the 2010-11 school year, the Archdiocese of Washington has awarded more than $5 million in tuition assistance, a six-fold increase in the amount of aid it offered four years ago. The investment offers a lasting return, as children are nurtured in the faith and experience how the Church is there to guide them through life.

Franciscan Father Mike Johnson, the pastor of St. Camillus, said that support shows "the Church extends beyond parishes. We all equally do our part to make Catholic education a reality for our children." And that support, he said, helps the school instill Catholic values in its students. "We're raising a generation of global citizens, who care not just about their future, but about the future of our world. We're interconnected."

With these new initiatives, Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Washington have saved local governments more than $380 million a year in tax expenditures for public schools.

The archdiocese has also opened Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School, in partnership with the Salesians of Don Bosco and with support from the business community and the national Cristo Rey Network. Very low-income students get a Catholic college preparatory education through a creative work-study program. The students job-share at corporate offices, gaining valuable work experience and covering a large portion of their tuition. In the spring of 2011, the first class will graduate, and 35% have been accepted to college during the early decision period.