The following is based on the 2009-2010 school year.
There are 31 Catholic schools located in 20 cities in Arkansas.
The total enrollment in schools is 7,232. Of these, 5,213 are in elementary schools, while 2,019 are in secondary schools. This is a 4.2 percent decrease from the 2008-2009 school year.
Eighty percent of students are Catholic while 20 percent are non-Catholic.
There are 554 pre-kindergarten students in Catholic preschools.
Eighty-two percent of the school population is white, 7.5 percent is Hispanic, 4 percent is Asian, 3 percent is black and 2 percent is multi-racial. The remaining students are Native American or from the Pacific island region.
The average annual cost of educating one child in elementary school is $4,948 while the average cost in secondary school is $7,980.
Elementary tuition average for Catholics is $2,799 and for non-Catholics is $3,580. Secondary tuition average for Catholics is $3,961 and for non-Catholics is $4,257. (This does not include Subiaco Academy, a boarding school.)
The cost of educating a child in a Catholic school versus the cost of tuition is usually offset by fundraising and church subsidy.
The oldest school is Mount St. Mary Academy in Little Rock. It was established in 1851.
The newest school is St. Raphael School in Springdale. It was established in 2007.
For more information about Arkansas’ Catholic schools, contact: Vernell Bowen, superintendent of schools at (501) 664-0340, e-mail vbowen@dolr.org or mail to: P. O. Box 7565, Little Rock, AR 72217.
