Principal’s Letter

In the past ten years, more than 460 Catholic schools have opened nationwide. The economic news very seldom sounds encouraging yet Catholic schools thrive. How, in this state of economic unrest, are parents able to afford to pay for their children’s education in a Catholic school?

We, as parents, make difficult decisions every day. Some of those decisions come back to haunt us as we will be reminded throughout our lives by our offspring who claim they were maimed for life by some “awful” decision we made as parents. I often reminded my children the power mower came with an instructional booklet, you did not.

The one decision parents make which should never come back to haunt them is the choice of education for their children. Parents, who send their children to Catholic schools, making a huge financial sacrifice, know they have given their children the very best.

The fact so many Catholic schools have opened in the past decade tells me not all those families attending Catholic schools belong to the 1% of the population in the millionaire range. The vast majority of families choosing Catholic education are not in the top 1%. But they have realized the importance of the outstanding education offered in the Catholic schools and are willing to give their children the best at any cost.

If families considering Catholic schools are concerned only with the cost , there is a good chance they will not enroll. My suggestion is, and will always be, talk to the school. Funding is available on several levels and I advise any family to file for financial aid. Once a family realizes the value of a Catholic education the decision becomes easier to ask for aid. Catholic schools are always willing to help families in any way they can.

Catholic education promotes family values based on Christian beliefs. Catholic schools are safe, secure environments where children are able to learn with no interruptions or distractions. Students build friendships lasting a lifetime. I can name all my elementary school teachers and most of my high school teachers. It is easy to do because relationships between students and teachers are personal and sincere. And who can argue with the 99.1% high school graduation rate with 84.7% attending college? Not many school systems can make that claim.

If you can look at Catholic education as the best gift your child can receive from you, it will be worth every bit of sacrifice. My advice to you, do not try to do it by yourself, let us help. Before you determine it is “too expensive”, please talk to us. You will not be disappointed and you will never regret your decision.

Tom Schmitt, Principal


Click on the link below to view the St. James Terra Nova (nationally standardized) scores as compared to other Louisville Archdiocesan schools. The profile years are grades 3, 5 and 7. The letters MNCE, for this spreadsheet purposes, stand for the archdiocesan average for all archdiocesan schools.

Test Scores