HALO 139
Completing our first pilot, HALO 139
In the Fall of 2021, when many families were still experiencing inconsistency in their child’s education, we launched the HALO 139 pilot program easily filling the 139 seats available. We invited new students and their families to try Catholic education in one of five schools in our Diocese. The results were tremendous, and we are pleased to share that the majority of these new students have found a community in which they feel they belong and are thriving.
-
The average enrollment increase was 14%, significantly more
than past enrollments and compared to schools nationwide
-
70% of new students were recruited into PK-1st grade
-
21% of new students are non-Catholic
-
38% transferred from public school
In our first year of addressing declining enrollment:
-
we made it easy for families to try Catholic Schools at 50% off tuition their first two
years at one of five pilot schools
-
we created awareness and traffic to attract new students in these communities
with the $60,000 support of the Mike & Mary Terry Family Foundation
-
and we showed existing school families that adding new students brings
vibrancy and spreads the cost of education across more families
Results To Date
-
We had 8 graduates (2 now attending private and 5 attending Catholic High Schools).
-
Schools retained 81% of students in the first and 86% in the second year. HALO 139 retention has been equal to or better than overall school retention.
-
Today 79 HALO 139 students continue to attend these five schools, with most paying full tuition.
-
Assuming about 80% retention, the HALO 139 pilot is on pace to earn $3 more for each $1 invested by HALO.
-
Before HALO 139, these pilot schools had a trend of decreasing enrollment and were threatened with financial instability. Today these school leaders are able to make plans to build and serve their community.
Pilot School
HALO Donors
Invested *
@ Current Rate Parents' Potential Payments **
Total Potential Impact
Good Shepherd
Santa Clara
St. Elizabeth
St. Joe (W)
St. Paul
$221,431
$92,580
$225,301
$185,136
$190,817
$915,265
$669,745
$504,560
$724,781
$458,992
$659,291
$3,047,369
$921,177
$597,140
$950,082
$644,128
$850,108
$3,962,635
* These figures show how generous HALO funders and donors contributed to the pilot, so that HALO was able to pay schools 50% of tuition for two years.
** These amounts show that, based conservatively on today’s tuition rates, how much HALO 139 families have paid and we anticipate they will pay for the time they remain in the school community, through 2031 for some who entered in PreK.
The infusion of new students at these five schools has helped to change the trajectory of enrollment, and that allows them to regain stability and to better serve the community with Catholic education. Informing families that they can access a Catholic school and making it easy to try it at 50% discount proved to be valuable, and most of the students who tried it have found a place they belong and can learn and thrive. In turn, the school communities are better with additional friendships and extracurricular activities, all within a context of faith that enhances their learning and their lives.
If you have more questions about HALO 139 pilot, please reach out to info@HaloInitiative.org