Scholarships & Tuition Assistance

Scholarships & Tuition Assistance Programs

Empower Illinois Tax Credit Scholarship

The Empower Illinois Tax Credit Scholarship can help cover up to 100% of private school tuition for families in need. The application process opens each January for the upcoming school year. Once a family applies and is accepted, Empower Illinois then determines the family's level of need for funding. The application and award process is based on a first-come, first-serve basis so it’s important to apply right when it opens in January.

You can donate to Empower & get a tax credit!

Through-out the year an individual donor can make contributions to Empower and designate St. Mary School DeKalb to receive the funds. Donors are eligible to receive a 75% Illinois State tax credit.
Companies can contribute to Empower and receive the 75% tax credit but they cannot designate a specific school as of yet.

Visit empowerillinois.org to learn more about this program.

Peggy Hoyt Guardian Angel Tuition Assistance Program

The Guardian Angel program started in 2014 to provide tuition assistance to families in the community who want a Catholic education for their children but cannot afford the entire cost of the tuition. Families must apply through empowerillinois.org to qualify for this program. We award tuition assistance to students in May after we receive all donations from the previous year.
If you would like to donate to this fund, you can send checks payable to "St. Mary School" to the school office or the St. Mary DeKalb Parish Office.

St. Mary School
Attention: Guardian Angel
210 Gurler Rd.
DeKalb, IL 60115

St. Mary Parish
Attention: Guardian Angel
302 Fisk Ave.
DeKalb, IL 60115

Privately Funded Scholarships

Current St. Mary students going into grades 1 & 4-8 can apply for privately funded scholarships. Each scholarship will fund up to $1,000 and is applied directly towards your student's tuition for the next school year.
Students apply for these scholarships in March/April to be awarded in May prior to the school year starting.

Raise Right

Raise Right is a rebate program available to all families. Parents purchase gift cards and gift certificates to shop at national and area stores. A percentage of the purchase is then applied to the student's tuition account. This can help to defray the cost of tuition for our parents.
Sign up at www.raiseright.com with enrollment code: E69AC59B39719

Additional Calendar Raffle Tickets

All families are required to sell thirty (30) raffle tickets each year. If you sell more than the required tickets, half of the additional ticket sales will be applied to your tuition account.