Why choose a Catholic School

Together with the family, the parish and each other, We will form each
student into a disciple of Jesus Christ seeking the Truth, growing to love it, and learning to live it.

Enrollment Information

Faith + Academics

Truth

Jesus Christ is taught daily in every subject and activity, experienced in prayer, and celebrated in worship.

Service

Equipped to recognize and live individual vocations for the glory of God in service to all humanity.

Love

Witness a community built around faith and parish life taught by adults living as Fully Alive disciples.

Mission

A culture forming the whole human person not merely transmitting academic content.

Foundation for Faith and Future

In our Catholic schools, faith isn't simply a part of the classroom, it is the foundation for everything. Faith integrated into all subjects is essential to the development of the whole person. Catholic schools also form students academically stronger than public schools.

Catholic schools increase Mass attendance

Catholic Schools greatly increase the likelihood of some being Catholic as an adult

Stewardship increases vocations

State Assessment Comparison

High School Success Rate

28%
National average of Catholics who attend mass on a given Sunday 

51%
Diocesan average of Catholics who attend mass on a given Sunday

71%
Catholic School Family average of Catholics who attend mass on a given Sunday

4x
More likely to be Catholic at age 30
if attended a Catholic grade school

6x
More likely to be Catholic at age 30
if attended a Catholic middle school

8x
More likely to be Catholic at age 30
if attended a Catholic high school

(According to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, Georgetown University)

Diocese of Wichita
107,000 Catholics : 58 Seminarians

Archdiocese of New York
2.6 million Catholics : 106 Seminarians

Diocese of Los Angeles
4.2 million Catholics : 90 Seminarians

30% of our seniors say they have thought about being a priest or sister.
That's 168 seniors who have considered religious life

56% college ready in Math
compared to state average of 33%

64% college ready in ELA
compared to state average of 37%

53% college ready in Science
compared to state average of 37%

69% college ready in Social Studies
compared to state average of 41%

98%

of students who start as freshman in our schools will graduate from our schools because we work hard to ensure that every students succeeds.

Enrollment Information

Are Catholic Schools Expensive?

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. 

I am Catholic, but do not belong to a parish. What do I do?

When enrolling your child in a Catholic school, you are also enrolling yourself. You need to:
• Register in a parish
• Attend Mass at least every Sunday
• Get involved in a parish
• Live a Catholic way of life
• 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.

I am not Catholic, but I am interested in Catholic Schools. Would I be welcomed?

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.

My student has special needs? Would my child be welcomed?

Catholic schools welcome students of all abilities. Partnering with parents is central to our policy and critical for student success. All of our schools are committed to the inclusion of students with disabilities whenever possible. However, the range of services available will vary according to each school’s resources. Decisions concerning admissions and continued enrollment of a student are based upon the student’s emotional, academic and physical abilities, as well as the resources available to the particular school in meeting the student’s needs. If appropriate, we partner with the local public school for services.

Our History

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.