Tuition Support and Affordability
Tuition Support
St. John's offers three sources of tuition support for grades K-8: School Choice Scholarships (commonly called vouchers), SGO grants, and pastoral scholarships for parishioners. Every family that would like any source of tuition assistance must register on FACTS. Beginning for the 2022-2023 school year, St. John’s will cover the cost of FACTS for each family. Please see the following for details regarding each type of tuition support.
Pastoral Scholarships
Every family wishing to request parish tuition assistance must complete the confidential FACTS Grant and Aid Application, each year. Completing this assessment is the only requirement necessary and will verify how your family best qualifies for each source of tuition assistance. If you will have children enrolled at more than one Catholic school (including high school), only one FACTS application for the 2022-2023 school year is required by including all children and each school. FACTS Grant and Aid Assessment, an independent third party, has been hired to assist the parish and will process the applications to prepare an objective report; however, final aid determinations will be made by the parish. All financial information will be kept in the strictest confidence. We encourage any family who is concerned about their ability to cover the cost of tuition to please apply for assistance. It is there for you to request and is part of our parish budget!
School Choice Scholarships
School Choice Scholarships are awarded for a family with a direct payment to St. John's from the State and are available in grades K-8 for parishioner and non-parishioner families alike. To qualify for a voucher, families/students must meet two criteria: a voucher pathway and an income threshold. The voucher pathway is an eligibility requirement, such as having received an SGO or a voucher in a previous year. There are several pathways; please call Michael Weissert for detailed information on these.
Regarding the income threshold, the state sets guidelines for how much can be awarded. The public school district in which you reside determines its cost of education per child, per year. Based on that figure, families qualify to receive 90%, of that figure, given as a voucher payment to St. John's. The determination of the 90%, amount is based on family income as reported from the most recent year's tax return. The income guidelines from the State may be found at the bottom of this page. This requires your IRS Federal 1040 Income Tax Return from your most recent tax year.
SGO’s
An SGO stands for a Scholarship Granting Organization. These have been authorized by the State of Indiana, and they allow donors to fund scholarships which individual schools can then give out to individual families. To qualify, families must fall within income guidelines set by the state. Unlike vouchers, the specific dollar amount of an SGO award is determined at the local level, in our case by Fr. Nathan, our Pastor, but the minimum distribution is $500 per child.
Financial Support Contact
Questions regarding parish tuition assistance, SGOs, and the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program should be directed to Business Manager, Michael Weissert, by email <[email protected]> or by phone (260) 493-4553, ext. 301; or Fr. Nathan Maskal, Pastor, at <[email protected]>.