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Not in the Diocese of Wichita! The parishes of the diocese
have made Catholic education a centerpiece of the mission of the Catholic
church in south central and south eastern Kansas.
Therefore, active parish families pay no tuition for their children. Rather,
their parishes provide direct support to the Catholic grade schools and
high schools for their parish families. Parents pay only a nominal fee to
cover the costs with textbooks and supplies.
When enrolling your child in a Catholic school, you are also enrolling
yourself. You need to:
1.) Register in a parish.
2.) Attend Mass at least every Sunday.
3.) Get involved in a parish.
4.) Live a Catholic way of life.
5.) Support the parish financially.
If there are factors keeping you from living your Catholic faith, this
would be a good time to discuss them with a Catholic priest.
Everyone who agrees to respect the religious nature of the school and abide by its disciplinary standards is welcome. Catholic schools have a long tradition of serving students from other faith traditions. There are currently more than 250 non-Catholic students attending Catholic schools. Families from other faith traditions should contact the school directly. A tuition is charged, but it is typically about half of the rate charged by other private schools in the area. For pre-school families, a monthly tuition is charged. The tuition at St. Patrick Catholic School is $6,000.
More than a decade before Kansas was granted statehood, there were Catholic
schools already in place within the borders of the territory. And by the time
the Catholic Diocese of Wichita was divided from the Diocese of Leavenworth
in 1877, Catholic schools were already in place for about 40 years.
The beginnings of Catholic schools within the borders of the state date
to 1847, when Jesuit missionaries, at the request of Osage Indians, went to
what is today St. Paul to teach the Osage children and prepare them for their
coming encounters with settlers. The schools that were part of the Osage
Mission were initially set up for boys, and the Sisters of Loretto
(Nerinx, Ky.) set up a school for girls six months later.
Since then, Catholic schools within the Diocese of Wichita have faced
tremendous challenges, yet have endured and prospered while being recognized
by many outside the diocese as among the premier Catholic school systems in
the nation.