Tuition Rates

II.    Registration Fee / Program Fee:

                       Registration Fee Per Student : $160.00          Program Fee Per Student : $30.00
                
** TOTAL FEES DUE PER STUDENT $190.00  ($95 Due at Registration & $95 Due by August 15th )
( ** MAXIMUM FEES PER FAMILY $525.00 )

III.   Building an Excellent School Together ($400 B.E.S.T. Program) Pre-K3(Full Time) & Pre-K4 – 8th Grade

The purpose of the B.E.S.T. Program is to ensure the vitality of the school ministry for generations to come and to secure the school’s financial stability.  Each family, Pre-K3 (Full Time) & Pre-K4 – 8th Grade, is required to generate $400 in additional revenue for the school. Those with one child in the Pre-K3 (Part Time) program are required to generate $200 for the school. You may choose from several fundraisers or a combination equaling to the family credit of $400. You have the option of selling Football Pool tickets (80% of your total sales goes towards your B.E.S.T) or selling Candy Bars (generating 50% towards your B.E.S.T.) or selling Easter Candy or Meadowview Giftwrap (each generating 40% of your total sales towards your B.E.S.T. credit). There are also Gift Cards through the script program which runs throughout the school year and other fundraisers to be determined. Families also have the option to “BUY-OUT” their B.E.S.T. Program of $400, as well. The simple goal is to generate $400 of fundraising income per family in order to meet our school’s financial needs. The BEST Program is tracked separately from tuition and is NOT included in the FACTS Tuition Management System unless a family specifically requests to add it to their account.

This B.E.S.T. obligation MUST be paid in full by June 1st.

IV.   Guidelines for Eligibility for Parishioner Rate at St. John the Baptist School

Guidelines have been developed to assist all parishes throughout the Diocese of Buffalo to determine active parishioner status. 
By meeting the following criteria, families are considered active parishioners and qualify to receive parishioner rate status:

1) Parish Registration/Sunday Mass Attendance – The family must be registered at St. John the Baptist Church and attend Mass on a regular basis with their children.  The children should be encouraged to worship in a parish faith community on Sundays and/or Saturdays in order to understand that they are nourished in faith at the parish celebration of the Eucharist.

2) Active Parish Participation/Ministry – Families requesting parishioner status are strongly encouraged to take part in the ministry of the parish, for example, as a lector, Eucharistic minister, choir member, or volunteering their time and/or talents in the numerous activities of the parish. This would provide another opportunity for our young people to see the close connection between faith and service.

3) Stewardship/Financial Contribution – It is expected that a family receiving parishioner status would contribute financially on a regular basis to our parish. Parishioner rates apply to practicing Catholic families who regularly attend Mass at St. John’s (as tracked through the parish envelope system or through online giving). You may sign up for online giving on the parish website at the following link: stjohnskenmore.org/Donate    

* PLEASE NOTE: If a family is not “active” as defined by the above criteria, they can lose their active parishioner status and will be held responsible to pay tuition at the non-parishioner rate. Parishioner status will be reviewed quarterly throughout the school year.

V.    Parishioners/Non-Parishioners Method of Tuition Payment

Tuition payments for the 2024-2025 school year are to be made on a 10 month payment schedule from September 1st through June 1st.  Payments will be made using the FACTS Tuition Management System. All Families are required to make an account through FACTS and pay their tuition using this system. Any unpaid fees after Aug. 15th will be added to your FACTS account. Information regarding FACTS as well as the link may be found on the St. John’s website under the Quicklinks section on the Homepage.

The school office handles ALL tuition / registration / program fee payments.  Any inquiries should be directed
to the school office.  Accounts will be monitored monthly.  We ask you to remain current each month.

DISCOUNT – 3% discount on TUITION (Pre-K3 – Grade 8) will be given to a family who pays their full year’s tuition by August 15th. The ENTIRE of the Registration Fee AND Program Fee MUST also be paid in full by August 15th  to be eligible for this tuition discount.                                                                                  

VI.   Tuition Assistance  

It is the policy of the St. John’s Parish and St. John’s School that no child of a registered parishioner (an active member in the parish for one full year) will be denied the opportunity of a Catholic Education due to financial inability of the family to pay their tuition.  A Tuition Assistance Committee of non-parents has been established for this purpose.

St. John the Baptist School also participates in the BISON Scholarship Fund. Details and an application for this program may be found at www.bisonfund.com  The pre-application deadline for NEW BISON families is March 15, 2024.

Registered Parishioners wishing to apply for Tuition Assistance should request the necessary forms prior to May 1st.  The forms must be filled out completely with a copy of your 2023 tax forms and returned to the school office by June 15, 2023. If you are requesting Tuition Assistance from St. John’s and are also eligible for the BISON Scholarship Fund (based on the eligibility scale listed on their website), you MUST complete the BISON application online PRIOR to submitting the St. John’s Tuition Assistance application.

St. John’s Tuition Assistance applicants will be notified by mail in August regarding denial or acceptance.  If awarded Tuition Assistance, the amount you will receive for the 2024-25 school year will be in the acceptance letter. The final decision of granting assistance is reserved for the Pastor, based upon recommendations from the Finance Committee.

Parents who are currently receiving Tuition Assistance MUST REAPPLY on a yearly basis. 

VII.    Returned Check Charge

There will be a charge of $20 for any check made out to St. John’s School that is returned from the bank for non-sufficient funds. This includes checks sent in for fees or fundraisers.

VIII.   Delinquent Accounts

All tuition / registration / program fee and BEST payments for the 2023-2024 school year MUST be paid in full by June 15, 2025.

If a family is experiencing financial difficulties at any time during the school year, it is THEIR responsibility to contact the school to discuss the hardship. This should be done as soon as possible.

If a family has an outstanding balance from the previous school year, this balance MUST be paid in full OR a written arrangement for a tuition payment plan made with the principal before the student may begin the NEW school year

If tuition and fees are NOT CURRENT and no effort has been made to contact the school regarding those financial difficulties, St. John’s reserves the right to withhold report cards, graduation diplomas, and/or transcripts. In such a case, St. John’s also reserves the right to refer the delinquent party to a collection agency or to ask the student(s) NOT TO RETURN TO SCHOOL. The delinquent party is also responsible for collection fees up to thirty-three and a half percent as well as attorney fees in which the school may incur as a result of such collection efforts. It is also understood that the delinquent account may be reported to one or more of the national credit bureaus. This declaration is also listed in your signed tuition agreement.