SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Catholic Schools are seeing an impact from the Utah Fits All Scholarship, a new program approved by the Utah Legislature to help homeschooled and private school students fund their education.
While exact figures of those who received scholarships within the system are not available, enrollment in Utah Catholic Schools increased by 4.2 percent for the 2024-25 academic year, compared to an overall 1.9 percent decrease the previous year.
Most of the Utah Fits All scholarships did not go to Catholic students; they received only 891 of the 10,000 available scholarships. Of the scholarships received by Catholic schools students, the majority went to students who were already in the system. However, 237 new students were added across the 16 Catholic schools in Utah; of those students, 136 were Catholic.
Enrollment across the Utah Catholic School system increased from 4,755 to 4,954 students for the 2024-25 academic year. However, some of that growth was due to other factors, such as increased marketing by the schools, said Mark Longe, superintendent of Utah Catholic Schools.
“We did a tremendous amount of marketing to the general community,” he said. “We reached out to feeder parishes to let them know about Utah Catholic schools. We did a lot of inviting students in our parishes that perhaps weren’t in Catholic schools and really asked them to consider enrolling in Catholic schools.”
A couple of schools experienced a significant increase in enrollment, but all schools were easily able to absorb the new students, Longe said.
The Utah Fits All scholarship, which covers $8,000 annually, has relieved financial stress for many families in the state and enabled more of them to choose a Catholic education for their children, he said.
“It’s a blessing for many families to receive this scholarship that are in our schools, and I think for those new families who came to us, I think it’s a blessing that they were able to choose a private school education for the first time,” Longe said.
Most of those who qualified had a household income of 200 percent or less of the state poverty level (which is less than $62,400 for a family of four). This funding has had a secondary effect of freeing up other scholarships for some students. For example, Skaggs Tuitions Assistance Program scholarships were awarded to 154 students this year.
With more than half of Utah Catholic Schools students receiving some form of tuition assistance, this can make a significant impact, Longe said. Even if a family does not qualify for the Utah Fits All Scholarship, tuition costs should not prohibit Catholic families from attending Utah Catholic Schools, Longe said.
“If they come to us and they want a Catholic education, we always work with families if they need financial assistance,” he said.
Demand for the Utah Fits All Scholarships far exceeded their availability: 17,000 people were left on the waiting list when the funds were expended. Longe hopes that in the future more funding will be found, and scholarships will be approved and will reach more private school students or those who would like to have their children in private schools such as the Utah Catholic Schools.
“We continue to work with the private school association and to partner with the state legislature to ensure that the scholarship continues and that more families will be able to participate in the program if they choose or want or desire Catholic school education for their child,” he said.
Utah Fits All scholarships must be applied for each year. The application for those who received them this year will not require the documentation needed for the standard application. Those students’ siblings will also be given priority.
The application window for renewals is open through March 28. New applications, along with those for students on the wait list, will be accepted Feb. 3 to March 28.
Longe encourages those who would like to enroll their children in Utah Catholic Schools to contact the school of their choice directly. The administration at those schools will be able to answer their questions about the Utah Fits All Scholarships, he said.
The state website at https://ufascholarship.com/ also contains helpful information.
