Josephinum Academy of the Sacred Heart is offering full tuition scholarships to its entire incoming freshman class for the 2024-2025 school year.
Although the all-girls Catholic high school is located in Wicker Park, it educates approximately 100 students from around 50 zip codes, nearly one-third of who live in the 60651 zip code of Chicago’s Austin and Humboldt Park neighborhoods.
The THRIVE Scholarship program, sponsored by financial donors, will cover scholarships for up to 40 students, the maximum enrollment for the incoming class. This is the first time in Josephinum’s 134-year history that every freshman will be able to attend for free, helping to alleviate financial pressures that applicants might face.
“We want to provide affordable education to all students who are interested in attending our school,” said Monique Norington-Joseph, Josephinum Academy’s director of community partnerships and student life.
Tuition is over $9,000 for returning students. In past years, incoming students could also apply for a scholarship, funded by donors, when they applied to Josephinum.
“We are so grateful to our donors to have this THRIVE Scholarship opportunity,” said Richard McMenamin, president of Josephinum Academy, in a statement. “Access to a top-quality Catholic education should be open to young people, regardless of their family’s resources.”
This year’s THRIVE scholarship comes at a critical time, as the Illinois Department of Revenue Invest in Kids tax credit expired. From 2017 to the end of last year, Invest in Kids offered a 75% income tax credit to those who contributed to Scholarship Granting Organizations.
The tax credit’s termination might discourage donors to fund organizations like Catholic schools. The end of Invest in Kids has reportedly affected the education of children already as, in January, it contributed to the closure of two schools each in the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Diocese of Belleville. Despite this, donors have still contributed to Josephinum Academy.
Norington-Joseph graduated from Josephinum Academy in 1992. She was raised by her grandmother on Chicago’s West Side and, though she said it was initially her grandparents’ decision for her to attend Josephinum, rather than a Chicago Public School, she quickly realized its value.
“After the first few years, it became something that was important for my life and for my future,” she said. Part of that, she said, was attending a single-sex school, where distractions were limited. “You’re really able to thrive in a way that you might not be able to thrive in a coed institute.” Norington-Joseph went on to the University of Illinois and got her master’s degree.
She added, “I gained my love and my passion for community outreach and community service through being a student here.”
Eighth grade girls interested in applying to Josephinum Academy, and receiving this year’s full-ride scholarship, will take an entrance exam and be interviewed by the school’s principal and admissions department. But Josephinum takes into account more than just academics.
“Girls from The Joe tend to be young women who, as we titled this scholarship, thrive, women who have a certain tenacious spirit and attitude about themselves,” Norington-Joseph said.
To apply to Josephinum Academy, eighth graders must fill out an online application packet and financial aid application, plus submit seventh and eighth grade records by March 17. Visit https://www.josephinum.org/ for an application or contact the admissions department at admissions@josephinum.org or 773-276-1261.
“If someone is looking for their young student to really excel, this is a place where we cultivate leaders and students and visionaries of tomorrow,” Norington-Joseph said.
“That’s one of the reasons why I came back,” she added. “They really have an opportunity to learn who they are and utilize their voice, which is so important for young women. Oftentimes we shy away from those character traits. Here, we cultivate that in these students, and so they leave with an amazing outreach and outlook on life.”