WILL TOMORROW’S LEADERS COME FROM ROANOKE?
We think so. And we believe God is calling us to prepare them to Learn to Lead.
The foundation for Roanoke Catholic School began over a century ago when two lay women opened a school in the parish hall of St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in the fall of 1889. Over the next 130 years, Roanoke Catholic has adapted numerous times to the changing needs of our community. Our Lady of Nazareth and St. Andrew ’s schools were consolidated to form Roanoke Catholic High, followed by the formation of the consolidated Roanoke Catholic Elementary School. A preschool program was introduced and the lower and upper school buildings were joined through the construction of the multipurpose building two decades ago.
Today, Roanoke Catholic continues to thrive as a coeducational, college-preparatory, regional Catholic school with a student body composed of young men and women from varied socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds who reflect the diversity of the greater Roanoke Valley.
We need your help to prepare a new generation of students to
LEARN TO LEAD.
The fundamental task of Roanoke Catholic School is the education of the whole person, blending learning with faith and faith with daily life.
Our focus every single school day is lifting the young people we serve to their potential to succeed and to lead. We have joined with Bishop Knestout and our fellow Catholic schools throughout the Diocese of Richmond on the Learn to Lead Campaign. This effort is a $30 million dollar Diocesan wide campaign in which we are participating. We are dedicated to excellence in education and to the spiritual development of youth within the framework of the Gospel and the tradition of the Catholic Church. We strive to instill in our students a lifelong commitment to learning, to Christian values, and to community service. We are dedicated to achieving these goals in a supportive Christian community.
STRENGTHENING OUR FOUNDATION FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS
SUPPORTING STUDENT ACCESSIBILITY
As a regional school of the Diocese of Richmond, Roanoke Catholic serves a diverse population of students from a broad range of socioeconomic backgrounds. Of the 395 students currently enrolled in preschool through 12th grade, 25% are minority students — 10% African American, 12% Latino/Hispanic, and 3% are Asian or biracial. Nearly 90% of all Roanoke Catholic students receive some form of financial aid. Our financial aid requests and needs from families continue to increase each year. We are faithfully committed to making a Roanoke Catholic education accessible and affordable to more students.
After graduation, 100% of our students are accepted into college, collectively earning more than $4.5 million in merit and need-based scholarships. Our capacity to retain students and to grow our enrollment is determined by our ability to offer financial assistance to our families.
BUILDING UPON OUR SUCCESS
FUNDING EISTC SCHOLARSHIPS
Donations to The Catholic Diocese of Richmond’s McMahon Parater Scholarship Foundation provide scholarships to students from low-income families to attend one of the 30 Catholic schools in the Diocese. These gifts can be designated to Roanoke Catholic School where approximately 70 of our currently enrolled students qualify for the program with a total need of just over $500,000 this academic year, a need that grows with each passing year.
Support to the Education Improvement Scholarship Tax Credits program allows us to maintain a large and diverse student body and ensures a strong future for Roanoke Catholic and strengthens our ability to provide the highest quality Catholic education within a caring Christian community. A solid Catholic education provides a foundation for success that will pay out throughout a child’s life. Without these scholarships, many families could not afford this opportunity.
Individual or business donors who support EISTC receive a 65% Virginia tax credit of the amount of the donation as well as state and federal deductions. Donors to the EISTC program have provided over $5,000,000 in scholarship assistance for Roanoke Catholic students since the program began in 2013.
One of our primary goals for our part in the Learn to Lead campaign is to secure $500,000 in annual support for EISTC scholarships each year, for the next five years to bring us back to meeting the full capacity of EISTC funding that we can offer to RCS students
ENSURING DESERVING CHILDREN HAVE ACCESS TO A CATHOLIC EDUCATION
BUILDING NAMED SCHOLARSHIPS AND FUNDS
Roanoke Catholic School currently has over 40 named scholarships and funds, as well as endowed funds that have been established by alumni and friends of the school to support financial and merit-based aid for students. These scholarships have been created in honor or memory of loved ones, families, and RCS alumni and faculty members and they provide approximately $60,000 in aid each academic year.
Our goal through the Learn to Lead campaign is to double the number of named scholarships and funds and secure $100,000 in additional financial and merit-based aid each year for the next five years.
