Two anonymous alumni have pledged to donate $100 million to Marquette University High School, the school announced on social media May 19.
The funds will go toward scholarships and financial aid for students, “bolstering and expanding the accessibility of a Marquette High education for generations to come,” the school said.
The gift, which includes two coordinated estate commitments of $50 million each, is the largest known pledged donation to a single high school in Wisconsin history, according to Marquette High. The school said it will also be “the largest known donation ever made to a Catholic high school in the United States.”
Full tuition to attend Marquette High, a private Catholic boys’ school, costs $26,375 per year. While every student receives a nearly $10,000 grant, bringing tuition to $16,475, the school said about half its students receive additional financial assistance.
“The scholarship legacy will address a critical financial aid need, ensuring that economic barriers do not prevent families” from pursuing enrollment at the school, the school said.
Last school year, more than 900 students enrolled at Marquette High. State data show about 150 of them participated in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, which subsidizes the cost for low-income students to attend private schools using publicly funded vouchers.
The Rev. Michael Marco, the school’s president, said the donors’ gift will help the school serve more families in the Milwaukee area.
“The legacy of these benefactors is not merely in the dollars committed, but in the lives that will be transformed,” Marco said in a statement.
This is Marco’s last year as president after a decade-long tenure. He will be succeeded by the Rev. Daniel Kennedy beginning July 1.
Kayla Huynh covers K-12 education, teachers and solutions for the Journal Sentinel. Contact: khuynh@gannett.com. Follow her on X: @_kaylahuynh.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Marquette High set to receive record $100 million gift
Reporting by Kayla Huynh, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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