Educate the Mind, Body and Soul with The Catholic Schools of Greater Kalamazoo
Catholic Schools of Greater Kalamazoo
St. Augustine Cathedral School • St. Monica Catholic School • Hackett Catholic Prep High School
Parenting comes with many choices. Are my kids eating the right food? Are they watching too much TV? Are they going to the best school?
Luckily the Catholic Schools of Greater Kalamazoo are here to help – with the last one anyway.
The Catholic Schools of Greater Kalamazoo are committed to the education and formation of the entire person: mind, body and soul through the cultivation of faith, knowledge and service.
St. Augustine Cathedral School and St. Monica Catholic School serve grades Pre-K – 8 and Hackett Catholic Prep High School serves grades 9 – 12.
Top 6 Catholic School Myths
We all want our kids to have a great education, quality friendships and options for extracurriculars.
What if you want religion to be part of your child’s school experience and not just reserved for non-school hours?
The Catholic Schools of Greater Kalamazoo are a faith-based community with God as the foundation. Are you thinking that Catholic education is too expensive or only for Catholic families? Good news! The answer to both: it’s not.
The Catholic Schools of Greater Kalamazoo are here to support your child in their education, faith and friendships – and do some myth-busting along the way.
Myth 1: Catholic School is Too Expensive
The cost of private schools can be challenging for families. The Catholic Schools of Greater Kalamazoo do everything they can to make it affordable.
Tuition is based on multiple different factors and financial assistance is available:
• Local parish members can receive income-based discounts (includes 8 supporting parishes)
• Discounts for multi-child households
• Scholarships are available for high school students
• Plus assistance is available for families who need it at all grade levels
Many families also benefit from the Tuition Reduction Incentive Program (T.R.I.P.).
What is the Tuition Reduction Incentive Program (T.R.I.P.)?
Families can reduce tuition costs through purchasing gift cards: a portion of the cost of the gift card goes right into a personal account for your child. The balance in this account gets applied toward the cost of tuition. These gift cards can be purchased electronically and instantly redeemed from anywhere.
For example, purchasing a Target gift card puts 2.5% into a T.R.I.P. account without any extra fees. Anyone with your child’s account number can contribute.
Myth 2: It’s Only for Catholics
Catholic Schools of Greater Kalamazoo are for everyone, regardless of faith.
God is the foundation of everything at CSGK and they welcome all families to attend, irrespective of whether they are Roman Catholic.
Students start and end their days with prayer and participate in weekly Masses.
Teachers have solid faith formation and serve their students as role models of the Catholic faith, reinforcing the lessons you teach at home as they care for their spiritual and educational well-being.
This strong moral grounding is beneficial for all young people, whether or not your family is Catholic.
Myth 3: My Child Will Miss Out on Sports & Extracurriculars
Arts and athletics are very important to many families as well as the Catholic Schools of Greater Kalamazoo.
Students get to take advantage of the same opportunities as their public school counterparts, but in a smaller setting. This means maximized playtime in sports, and highly individualized instruction and assistance in the arts.
Each school also has extracurricular activities. Examples include (but are not limited to):
• St. Augustine Cathedral School and St. Monica Catholic School offers Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts and student council.
• Middle school students at St. Augustine and St. Monica can participate in volleyball, basketball, soccer, track and cross country.
• High schoolers at Hackett Catholic Prep have dozens of options including: hockey (boys), jazz band, dance team, golf (boys and girls), quiz bowl, robotics, cross country and track, soccer, student council, and theatre.
Plus Hackett has 23 varsity athletic programs!
Myth 4: School Uniforms Don’t Allow for Individuality
Back-to-school shopping can be very stressful – and expensive – for families, especially when kids want to keep up with the latest fashions.
Uniforms ease that stress and even save money. Plus no battles in the morning over what to wear to school!
Students still have the option to add personal touches such as simple jewelry and choice of shoes. There are also “uniform holidays” throughout the year.
Myth 5: Buses Are Only for Public Schools
All schools in CSGK offer bus transportation for students. If your family lives within the Portage or Kalamazoo Public Schools boundaries, you are eligible for bus services for both St. Monica and Hackett.
St. Augustine Cathedral School also offers bus transportation for KPS boundary residents.
To request bus transportation for your child, simply contact PPS or KPS transportation to arrange pickup direct to your school. The CSGK school office staff can also assist with transportation questions.
Myth 6: It Will Be Harder for My Kids to Socialize & Make Friends
Each of the Catholic Schools of Greater Kalamazoo has a very welcoming community. While students may not know anyone on the first day of school, it very quickly starts to feel like a family.
Families form connections with each other and socialize outside of school. They may attend the same church on Sundays. Students play on the same sports teams or participate in the same extracurricular activities.
Parents have many opportunities throughout the year to get involved in the school community. Families celebrate each other’s successes and support each other in tough times.
Contact the Catholic Schools of Greater Kalamazoo today for your child to be a part of this amazing faith-based community.
St. Augustine Cathedral School
600 W Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49007
269-349-1945
• Grades: Pre-K – 8th Grade
• Bus Service: Available to families that reside in Kalamazoo Public Schools boundaries.
• Extracurriculars include, but are not limited to, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Girls on the Run, book challenge, Science Olympiad, Jeter’s Leaders and STEM.
• Specials: art, gym, music, Spanish, library, and band (optional)
• After School Care: Available from preschool through 8th grade
St. Monica Catholic School
530 W Kilgore Rd, Kalamazoo, MI 49008
269-345-2444
• Grades: Pre-K – 8th Grade
• Class size: 16 – 30 students
• Bus Service: Available to families that reside in either Kalamazoo or Portage Public Schools boundaries.
• Extracurriculars include, but are not limited to, intramural soccer (lower elementary), crochet club, life runners, and book challenge.
• Specials: art, gym, music, Spanish, library, and band (optional)
• After School Care: Available from preschool through 8th grade
Hackett Catholic Prep High School
1000 W Kilgore Rd, Kalamazoo, MI 49008
269-381-2646
• Grades: 9 – 12
• Bus Service: Available to families that reside in either Kalamazoo or Portage Public Schools boundaries.
• Student Ratio: 10:1
• Required Courses include theology, English, social studies, math, science, fine arts, world language, physical education, and business.
• Advancement Placement classes include biology, math, history, English, Spanish, Latin and computer science principles.
• Extracurriculars include, but are not limited to, jazz band, art club, earth club, liturgical choir, National Honor Society, quiz bowl, robotics, theatre, and student council.
Catholic Schools of Greater Kalamazoo
featured partner
1000 W Kilgore Rd
Kalamazoo, MI 49008
(269) 381-2646
St. Augustine Cathedral School • St. Monica Catholic School • Hackett Catholic Prep
Is there a Catholic school in Richland?
St. Ann parish near Gull Lake has a school. Light of Christ Academy!
Yes. In Augusta. Light of Christ Academy is a Catholic school with a Classical education for K-8th grade in the upper academy and a Montessori preschool. It’s a wonderful place. My kids go there!
Yes. In Augusta. Light of Christ Academy is a Catholic school with a Classical education for K-8th grade in the upper academy and a Montessori preschool. It’s a wonderful place. My kids go there!
We are grandparents and parents of multiple children who have attended and graduated from all three Catholic schools here in Kalamazoo. Also, our own five completed their educations at St.Mary School and Hackett Catholic. We are so happy to be able to tell you that they all received outstanding educations. They were exceptionally well prepared for college and thrived socially, educationally and spiritually from their experiences. Many families undergo sacrifice to provide these educations for their children but the great majority would tell you that it was so very worthwhile. We currently have three grandchildren at Hackett and one at St. Augustine. Thank you.