Germantown’s DePaul Catholic School offers 45 new scholarships

Officials with the DePaul Catholic School in Germantown announced Tuesday that, thanks to the Children’s Scholarship Fund of Philadelphia (CSFP), they are offering 45 four-year scholarships starting in the upcoming school year.

The scholarships cover anywhere from 25 to 75 percent of the yearly $3,325 tuition for qualifying families, said Delia Spellman, a teacher at the Logan Street school. 

The deadline for applications is May 31.

The process

The enrollment process includes prospective-students registration through the website, the school secretary contacts the family to arrange a day-long school visit with current grade-level class and a parent tour.

During the school visit, prospective students take a standardized test to confirm DePaul is able to meet the child’s academic needs. Admittance is based on teacher’s evaluation of the day, standardized test results and the student’s current school report, Spellman said.

“Based on the recommendation of an observing teacher, an interview and the results of a standardized test, the principal is able to make a final decision about the school’s ability to meet the student’s needs. The size of the awarded scholarship is then determined by an income scale.”

Merging parishes

DePaul, the only remaining Catholic school in Germantown, is one of a dozen parishes taking part in a large merger as announced by the Archdiocese in April. Saint Francis of Assisi Parish and Immaculate Conception Parish will join Saint Vincent DePaul Parish on July 1.

Immaculate Conception does not have a school of its own, while families at Saint Francis of Assisi have been sending students to DePaul Catholic for years.

DePaul usually recieves a few CSFP scholarships annually, but next year marks the beginning of an initiative to “further open the doors at DePaul,” explained Spellman.

Enrollment currently sits at 280 students in kindergarten through eighth grade, with a goal of reaching 380 by next year.