Wow. This is where I start to sound like an old lady. I had no idea Catholic schools had become this expensive. I went to an 'expensive' Catholic prep school in the 60s and it was outrageous at a few thousand. I can see a couple of thousand for grade school and maybe 5k for high school, but those prices are high. I guess this is because nowadays they have to hire more lay teachers instead of nuns?
The parishes used to give a discount if you lived in the parish and contributed to the collection at Mass. Doesn't this happen anymore? And, considering the Church's stand on birth control; no discount for multiple kids in the same school?
There is no discount for multiple children now. I have heard rumours that it is being considered. There is not even a discount for teachers' children. Everyone pays the full price. There is financial aid available and I know there are some who have received it. The schools are very good and the facilities are very nice. (This is different from the Catholic school I attended as a child, where the buildings were old and decrepit (sp?) The teachers are all employees, no nuns. This is probably why the cost is so high. Good choice for my family, but we have to budget for it year by year. No guarantee that we can afford the rising tuition each year.
In the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Catholic Parochial grade schools are around $1000-2000 per child per year (with discounts as more children are enrolled). The Diocesean High Schools are around $3500-4000 per year, with a cap of a maximum of tuition for two children at any one time, with any additional children enrolled simultaneously being free.
We have around 100,000 kids enrolled.
The prices for Atlanta seem utterly outrageous and totally out of reach of a normal family.
The prices in Philadelphia are equivalent to the property taxes and excess mortgage one might pay for a typical suburban home versus one in the city.