Paying for Catholic school in the Diocese of Phoenix

The diocesan school system

The Diocese of Phoenix describes its system as 28 elementary schools, six stand-alone preschools and five diocesan high schools, all accredited by the Western Catholic Educational Association. Brophy College Preparatory and Xavier College Preparatory on Central Avenue, Seton Catholic in Chandler, Bourgade in west Phoenix and St. Mary's downtown are the names most families know, but most Catholic students are in parish K-8 schools in neighborhoods from Sunnyslope to Gilbert. Our directory lists 28 schools that appear on the diocese's own list. Non-Catholic families are welcome at all of them.

Tuition is set parish by parish

There is no single diocesan tuition rate. Each pastor or school sets its own, and most give a lower rate to registered, active parishioners. That makes the rate sheet more useful than any average: ask for the parishioner and non-parishioner figures, the registration and book fees, and whether the school charges a separate rate for the ESA. The diocese itself says most of its elementary tuition sits below the yearly ESA amount.

ESA or Catholic Education Arizona: choose one per child

The diocese tells families to pick either the ESA or STO scholarships for each child for each school year, and it means it: the ESA contract forbids taking an STO award at the same time. For a typical parish K-8, the ESA ($7,105–$10,540 on the 2025-26 est. chart for grades 1-8) often covers tuition and leaves money for books and tutoring. For a Catholic high school with tuition well above that range, some families find CEA plus other STO scholarships and school aid add up to more. You can make different choices for different children.

Applying for Catholic Education Arizona aid

CEA is the diocese's STO and its largest scholarship source, funded by more than 13,000 donors who give over $20 million a year, according to the diocese. Applications run through FACTS with a $31 family fee; for 2026-27 the first round ran Feb 1 to Apr 15 and the second to Aug 21. Donors can also direct gifts to a specific school, which is why parish schools ask families to recruit relatives as donors each spring.

Preschool and the early grades

Six of the diocese's preschools stand alone, and many parish schools start at age three. The ESA does not cover general preschool, so those years are paid from family funds, parish aid or state child-care help. Kindergarten is the first year the universal account applies, at roughly half the grade-school amount.

Questions to ask the school office

Is the school registered in ClassWallet, and will it bill each quarter? What is the parishioner rate and how do we register? Which STOs do your families use besides CEA? If we choose the STO route, when does FACTS close for next year? And for high schoolers: which dual-enrollment courses do you offer, and can the ESA pay those college credits?

Catholic schools in the directory (45)

* Enrollment reported to the NCES Private School Survey (2023-24 or 2021-22). "STO lists" counts the School Tuition Organizations whose published school list included the school (Oct 2026). Arizona has no state list of ESA schools; ask each school whether it accepts ESA payments through ClassWallet.

Schools on the Catholic Education Arizona list (30)

* Enrollment reported to the NCES Private School Survey (2023-24 or 2021-22). "STO lists" counts the School Tuition Organizations whose published school list included the school (Oct 2026). Arizona has no state list of ESA schools; ask each school whether it accepts ESA payments through ClassWallet.

Next step

Ready to find out which funding fits? Take the short funding check and a School Funding Advisor will call to go over the ESA, STO and school-aid options for your child, with the dates that matter.

Start the funding check →