One of the undeniable facts about education is that there is a cost associated with providing it that is fairly constant across the board. Whether a student is in a private school, a charter school or a public school, or even home school or cyber education, the labor, materials and space required to provide education has a dollar figure attached to it.
Based on a 9 month calendar, and taking into account that this figure is average, and includes all levels of spending that schools can provide, the average cost per pupil for one year in the state of Illinois is $20,120.00 per year. That figure includes all costs associated with all schools providing an education, including transportation, infrastructure, materials, salaries for all personnel required to operate a school, everything, in fact that is spent to provide one year's worth of education.
The biggest difference for most families, especially when it comes to choosing a school as opposed to attending the one assigned by the schoo district is who pays the bill. The taxpayers cover the costs associated with public education. Parents, of course, pay tuition or other expenses if they choose an alternative for their child.
But even in religious-based private schools, including other Christian schools, where tuition is the primary means of financial support, the average tuition bill in Cook County and the City of Chicago is just under $12,000. We have some families at MCA over the past few years who have an eighth grade student graduate, and immediately make note of the fact that the tuition for a Christian high school is double what they've been paying, and in some cases, more than that. Even private schools where there is support and subsidy from a denomination or church fellowship, like the Catholic and Lutheran schools, tuition is much higher than at independent, non-denominational MCA.
Why MCA Provides an Education at Well Below Average Cost
The average cost per student per year at MCA is right around $5,000. That is less than the highest tuition figure, because it is the average of all tuition paid by families including the discounts for multiple siblings, and the scholarship amounts. That is significantly lower than the $20,000 per year that is the average cost in Illinois. It is, in fact, lower than tuition at any other nearby private, religious based school in our part of the city of Chicago and it comes in as one of the lowest annual tuition rates among all private schools in the metro area.
So how does that happen?
First of all, a big chunk of the expense of most private and public schools is facility and infrastructure. MCA occupies a facility constructed specifically for the school's use, with some areas shared by the church's ministry, all debt free. And while most Christian schools around us pay a lease or rental fee to the church that hosts them in their building, we do not. We cover our share of the maintenance and utilities. This in-kind contribution from Midwest Bible Church saves just a little over $2,000 per year, per student in what we would have to charge in tuition, if we had to pay a lease.
Recognizing that this is a ministry, our teachers and staff make a personal sacrifice when it comes to payroll, in order to keep parent tuition costs low. Raising our teacher salaries to just the minimum first year salary for a new teacher in the public school system would add another $2,000 to each student's tuition bill. And adding those things would put our tuition and fees at just under $10,000 a year, which is still less than most of the other Christian schools, and private, religious-based schools in our area charge.
Donations and gifts are also part of what keeps our costs low. Over the past eight years, we have benefitted from over $500,000 in cash contributions from Midwest Bible Church. That averages out to $2,500 per student. The financial commitment of this church to its school ministry is high, compared to similar church-school relationships. In most cases, scholarships for church members children are the only actual financial support that some sponsoring churches provide for their schools.
Other private contributions and donations over the same period total $550,000, which includes the gift for renovating the gym, resurfacing the parking lot and replacing the windows. The $200 fund raising fee, which each family pays, has generated about $70,000 in funds so far, which includes paying for the playground equipment, renovation of the art room, and of the band and music room. That's four times more money than we would have raised from selling chocolate.
Needs That Are Becoming More Pressing
Looking at the manner in which our school meets expected student outcomes, including its academic success and the spiritual life of our campus, we are being good stewards with our tuition dollars. We have managed a balanced budget each of the past five years. We cannot carry a lot of short term indebtedness, which means that we have to limit what we can extend to parents who are past due. There is a cost to carrying overdue tuition accounts, which is why we look at this as a mutual commitment. It takes away from what we can spend on our students when parents don't pay their bill on time.
And we are behind the curve in providing our teachers with a fair salary for their education and their work. Our staff is degreed, certified and several have, or are working toward, advanced degrees as part of their committment to students. Our faculty turnover rate over the past eight years has been very low, and we want to increase our ability to attract, and retain, qualified teachers. We achieved full accreditation in 2020, a recognition of excellence from a commission that accredits for both ACSI and Cognia, a distinction that we have in common with only about a third of the Christian and private, religious-based schools in our area. Raising teacher pay is now a priority which will affect the bottom line of tuition.
We take advantage of every opportunity we have to secure funds for scholarships. Most of these are need-based, income qualified scholarships. As other funds become available, including the anticipation of a federal tax credit starting in 2027-28, we try to stay on top of finding ways to access and make this available. One of the things that we need to keep in mind is that in spite of whatever programs state, local or federal government come up with to promote "school choice," the bottom line is that our Christian schools are independent, autonomous, and unwilling to accept control or oversight which will compromise our values, which is a requirement of many of the state-sponsored funding mechanisms. These schools undergird and support the work of the local church, and we are worthy of a lot more financial help from those sources than we get.
We are extremely grateful for the individuals who have contributed to Christian school education at MCA. We have over 50 churches represented in our student body, all of whom benefit in some way from having families sacrificing to provide their child's education in a Christian atmosphere. Perhaps there are individuals in those congregations who are able, and gifted, and led by the Lord to share out of their abundance to help the families in their congregation make this possible.
Ultimately, our dependence on God's help, and the commitment of those who are part of this ministry, including the vision of Midwest Bible Church for Christian education in Chicago over the past 70 years, are responsible for the school's ministry having a future.
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