San Miguel School Chicago is unique—and so is our funding model. Unlike Chicago public schools, we don’t receive state or local funding. We’re a faith-based school, but we’re not funded by the Archdiocese of Chicago or sponsored by a local parish.
In a community with more resources, tuition fees might cover the lion’s share of our operating costs. But 100% of our students live in households with incomes near or below the federal poverty line. We set tuition fees at a level each family can afford, so most families pay less than 5% of the $15,000 annual cost of educating a San Miguel scholar. For this reason, we are considered a non-tuition-driven school.
So where does our operating support come from? St. John Baptist de La Salle—who founded the first Brothers of the Christian Schools—might have said, “through God’s providence,” and that is surely true.
But we also rely on a development team that works year-round to fund 90%–99% of our operating expenses by securing grants and donations from foundations and friends.
While this may raise our administrative costs, we consider this additional expense an investment
in human potential. Our alumni earn high school degrees at nearly twice the rate of their neighborhood peers—and more than half continue on to college. In a community where fewer than five percent of residents have college degrees, that’s an excellent return on investment!
To learn more about our mission or arrange a personal tour of our school, please contact our Development Office at development@sanmiguelchicago.org or 773.890.1481. Thank you for your interest!
