These can be confusing elements of your child's tuition package, and we are here to help you understand how SGO funds and Choice Scholarships can make a world class education at St. Anthony de Padua Catholic School affordable for all.
SGO stands for "Scholarship Granting Organization" which provides scholarship awards to low and middle-income families to help them afford the school of their choice. SGO awards are distributed to families who meet income and other requirements.
SGO awards for St. Anthony students are managed by the SGONEI and funded by charitable corporate or individual private donations, not by the state.
Individuals, corporations, partnerships, LLCs, PCs, and those who are self-employed are all eligible to receive 50% of their donation back in the form of a state tax credit.
To receive the tax credit for 2023, be sure to make your donation by December 16, 2023.
What is the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program?
The Indiana Choice Scholarship Program makes your tax dollars available to help pay for your child's tuition at any non-public school of your choice. Eligibile students receive 90% of what the state allocates to educate a child in the public school district where they reside.
How does my child qualify for a Choice Scholarship?
Students qualify through income eligibility and a Track into the Choice Scholarship program. View the Choice Scholarship Program Track & Income Guidelines for the 2023-2024 school year for additional information.
The income eligibility is currently 300% of the Free Reduced Lunch eligiblity and there are several Tracks, so Choice Scholarships are not terribly difficult to obtain. Kindergarteners often have limited tracks, but we can work with you to obtain a track for 1st grade through the issuance of an SGO Grant in Kindergarten.
What is a typical Choice Scholarship amount?
Choice Scholarships vary by the school district in which the child resides. The estimated Scholarship amounts for the 2023-24 school year are:
If my child qualifies for a Choice Scholarship, how much of a tuition balance can I expect?
The tuition balance will vary based on the school district in which the student resides and if your family qualifies for an active parishioner discount (attends weekly Mass at St. Anthony with a signed affidavit from our parish administrator, Father Arthur Joseph Ssembajja).
Tuition balances, along with the registration fee, can be broken out into monthly payments spread over 10 or 12 months, using our FACTS Payment Plan system.
One of the Tracks to receiving an Indiana Choice Scholarship is if your child has received an SGO award in a prior school year. This can especially help with those children entering Kindergarten, as Tracks to the Choice Scholarship Program are limited for Kindergarten students. So, if your child receives an SGO award to help pay for Kindergarten, they will have obtained a Track to receiving a Choice Scholarship starting in 1st Grade.