Family Guide to Tuition and Affordability

McDonell Area Catholic Schools (MACS) is committed to financial transparency and affordability for families. Tuition, fees, and financial aid for the 2026-27 school year are managed through FACTS Financial, FACTS Tuition Management, and FACTS Grant & Aid. The following outlines tuition costs, available discounts, and options for financial assistance.

McDonell Area Catholic Schools Tuition Scale for 2026-27 School Year

• MACS Non-Parish Family Cap: $17,300 Maximum Out-of-Pocket Tuition per Family
  Additional Supporting Parish Discount of $4,800 = Supporting Parish Family Cap: $12,500
• New families will need to obtain a letter from their pastor verifying that they are active members of a supporting parish in order to receive the parish discount.
• Click here to view K-12 Tuition and Affordability Guide
• Coming Soon: Click here to view the Little Macks 4K Tuition and Affordability Guide

Tuition Credits and Discounts Available

Affordability is a priority for MACS. In addition to the MACS discount and parish discounts, MACS families may be eligible for tuition credits and financial aid up to and including full scholarships through several programs available for grades 4K through 12:

1. Wisconsin Parental Choice Program: full scholarship through Wisconsin DPI (income-based)
2. Special Needs Scholarship Program: full scholarship for students with qualifying Individualized Education Plans
3. MACS Employee Tuition Waiver: full or partial waiver for children of MACS employees
4. MACS Guardian Angel Scholarship: needs-based MACS financial aid for families who do not qualify for the above programs

After the Net Tuition is calculated, the following credits may apply:

• Referral Credit (applies to the oldest child only)
• Other Scholarships or Credits (e.g. incoming freshmen parish scholarships)
• Family Cap (divided equally among children in the family)
• Scrip Credit (from prior year Scrip margin purchased by the family or someone else on their behalf, e.g. a grandparent)

All tuition is billed through FACTS Tuition Management, whether paid as a lump sum or scheduled over 10 months of automatic payments set up at the time of enrollment. Tuition must be paid in full or an automatic payment agreement in place before a student begins attendance.

Tuition Assistance Eligibility and How to Apply

1.Wisconsin Parental Choice Program (WPCP)

The Wisconsin Parental Choice Program provides state-funded vouchers for families meeting income criteria. In order to participate, MACS is accountable to the DPI through annual accreditation, reporting of assessment results, and four annual audits. We proudly participate in this program, which makes Catholic education accessible to all regardless of income.

• Eligibility: Wisconsin residency (excluding Milwaukee and Racine districts); family adjusted gross income (AGI) within 220% of the federal poverty level; and prior attendance criteria as follows:
  • Any student entering grades 4K, K, 1 or 9; a public school or home school student entering any grade 4K-12, or a continuing WPCP student.
  • Income limit is based on family size, e.g. AGI of $94,930 for a family of six for 2026-27.
• Eligible families who apply within the deadline and meet the criteria receive a full scholarship through graduation, subject to annual proof of residency.
• More information, including current income requirements, is available on the Wisconsin DPI website.
• Eligible families may apply online through the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program's Online Parent Application beginning February 2, 2026.
• Available Open Application Periods: Rather than one open application period we will accept applications February through September. The open application periods for each school are identified in the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program (WPCP) 2026-27 Schools document on the Student Applications webpage, which will be available before the February application opens.
• DPI encourages families who hope to continue at the school to apply during the school’s first application period. 
• Documentation Must be Provided During the Applicable Monthly Open Application Period: The residency documentation and, if applicable, income documentation required by the parent application must be provided to the schools the parent applies to by the last day of the open application period they applied in.  For example, if a parent applies on February 3rd, the parent must submit their residency and, if applicable, income documentation to the school(s) they applied to by the end of the February open application period, which is February 20, 2026, for the 2026-27 school year.  Parents no longer have one extended open application period from February to April to apply and submit documentation.
• Parents Can Apply During More Than One Open Application Period:  A parent can apply to a school during more than one open application period.  For example, if the parent does not provide the required residency and/or income documentation to the private school they applied to by the end of the open application period, the school must determine the Choice application ineligible.  The parent could apply in a future open application period if the school has any remaining open application periods.
• Schools Will Determine Who Is Given a Choice Seat:  Schools with more eligible applications than seats will hold their own random selection, rather than the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) completing it.  The random drawing, if required, shall be held prior to the next application period, within 60 days after the end of the application period, or prior to the next count date, whichever occurs first. Additionally, schools, not the DPI, will submit the applications in OAS when students accept seats.
• Schools Will Manage the Choice Waiting Lists for Their School: If the Choice applications at a school exceeds the number of Choice seats the school has available, the school, not the DPI, must create its own Choice waiting list using a random selection. Schools with a waiting list that have additional application periods must conduct a random drawing to determine the waiting list order for students that apply in these application periods (both new and continuing students).  If a seat becomes available and the school chooses to fill the Choice seat, the school will offer the Choice seat to the next student on the Choice waiting list.
• Attending a Different Participating School When a Student Moves: If a student moves after they originally apply and the student would like to participate in the Choice program at a different school, the parent must apply to the other participating school during one of the remaining open application periods at the new school.  If the new school does not have any remaining open application periods, then that student would not be eligible to participate in the Choice program at that school.
• Additional resources are listed below, which are all available on the Private School Choice webpage.
• The Changes to the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program for the 2026-27 School Year and Random Selection Training 2026-27 School Year presentations are available on the Choice Programs: Information for Schools webpage.
   
• The Choice Programs: School Application Processing webpage includes:
  2026-27 Application Process Bulletin
  2026-27 Random Selection Agreement
  2026-27 Random Selection and Waiting List Guidance and Tips and Examples Document
  Student Eligibility and the Application Grade or Prior Year Requirement Bulletin

Learn more about the program through this message from MACS President Molly Bushman. 

2. Special Needs Scholarship Program (SNSP)

In order to provide necessary resources to meet student needs, MACS participates in the Special Needs Scholarship Program, overseen by our Student Services Coordinator. The SNSP provides state-funded scholarships for students with disabilities, within the scope of MACS’ Special Education profile published on the DPI website, such as learning disabilities, speech, and mild cognitive disabilities. Limited seats are available; please inquire. 

• Eligibility: Wisconsin residency, Individualized Education Program (IEP), and not enrolled in other schooling. No income requirements.
• Eligible SNSP students receive a full scholarship to attend, subject to periodic re-evaluations as provided by state law. Students who have been determined to no longer have a disability receive a partial scholarship beginning in the school year following the determination. 

3. Guardian Angel Tuition Assistance Scholarship Program

The Guardian Angel program provides needs-based assistance for families who demonstrate financial need, thanks to the generosity of donors to our MACS Guardian Angel assistance fund.

• Eligibility: Families must apply through FACTS Grant & Aid by April 30, 2025, and provide necessary documentation uploaded to the system.
• Application: Complete the application on the FACTS Grant & Aid Portal.

Note: Guardian Angel awards are available only for full-time enrolled students and do not apply to those receiving full tuition funding from WPCP, SNSP, or other full scholarships.

Checklist for Parents

1. Prepare Documentation: Make sure you have a valid email and gather any necessary income and residency documentation.
2. Complete Online Application(s): Use the FACTS Grant & Aid (Guardian Angel) or Wisconsin Parental Choice application portals to complete your application. 
   • We encourage new families to complete both applications. They are completely separate processes with different requirements.
   • Current families with children entering grades K,1,or 9 should consider applying for Choice based on comparing their most recent adjusted gross income to the current DPI limits. 
   • Families interested in SNSP may find more information on how to apply by contacting the Enrollment Coordinator or going to the DPI website.
3. Submit Supporting Documents: Submit required documents directly to the school(s) within the application period to finalize your application.
4. Follow Deadlines. The DPI Choice application deadline is April 17th and the MACS Guardian Angel application deadline is April 30th.

For any additional information, families are encouraged to contact the MACS Enrollment Office. We are here to answer your questions and enable your family to feel confident about choosing Catholic education!