For some Baltimore City families, a Catholic school education may seem out of reach. But with the help of the Partners in Excellence (PIE) Scholarship program, many low- and very-low-income families who wish to send their children to a Catholic school are able to do so.
The PIE Scholarship Program was created in 1996 with the support of Cardinal William H. Keeler to help improve educational options for children in Baltimore City. Co-sponsored by the Archdiocese of Baltimore and more than 400 philanthropies, businesses and private benefactors, PIE has awarded 29,428 scholarships totaling more than $38 million in tuition assistance.
“The Partners in Excellence Scholarship Program provides life-changing opportunities to many students throughout Baltimore City,” said Dawn Edwards, director of corporate and foundation relations in the archdiocesan advancement office. “It removes a key obstacle to making a Catholic education possible for many families and offers access to a quality education that reinforces each student’s sense of value and self-worth while also offering a strong curriculum that prepares them for high school, college and a successful career.”
There are currently 17 PIE schools, including community schools Archbishop Borders, Mother Mary Lange and Cardinal Shehan, along with Archbishop Curley High, Cristo Rey Jesuit High, St. Agnes, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Michael-St. Clement and others.
PIE schools ask each family to pay at least 25 percent of their child’s education. Families apply each year through FACTS Tuition Management, and grants are awarded based on need and without regard to race, gender or creed. On average, PIE awards cover 29 percent of the tuition costs for PIE scholars.
According to Edwards, PIE Scholars have a high rate of on-time eighth-grade graduation (more than 95 percent) and matriculation to college-prep high schools (80 percent). College matriculation rates among PIE scholars are two to three times greater than their counterparts in city public schools.
Cindy Figueroa, an eighth-grader at Archbishop Borders Catholic School in Highlandtown, has been a PIE scholar since third grade.
“This scholarship has granted me and my family an amazing opportunity for me to attend Catholic school, and I am so thankful,” she said. “I love that I get to learn about my faith and continue exploring my faith.”
Because Archbishop Borders is a duallanguage school, Cindy was able to learn how to read and write in her mother’s native language. She serves as student body president, a student ambassador, assistant coach for the tee-ball team and co-president of the National Junior Honor Society. Outside school, she volunteers with nonprofit organizations Hola Baltimore and Nuestras Raices.
Cindy, 14, will attend high school at Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in Essex in the fall. Her career goals are in the medical field, with orthopedic surgeon and traveling nurse at the top of her list.
According to assistant principal Kaitlyn Hammel, almost half of the students at Archbishop Borders are PIE scholars.
“We are very much a team with our parents,” Hammel said. “They’re invested.”
Brishae Dobyns was a PIE scholar from third through 12th grade. She attended Father Charles Hall and Holy Angels schools in Baltimore, and is a 2017 graduate of The Seton-Keough High School in Baltimore.
“Being a PIE scholar was a big deal for my family,” Dobyns said. “I got to meet new friends, learn new things and be around people who wanted to learn.”
During college, Dobyns returned to Holy Angels to work as a teaching assistant. She graduated in December 2021 from Coppin State University with a degree in criminal justice and is currently a special education/IEP specialist at Kipp Harmony Academy
in Baltimore.
“Catholic schools opened up a lot of different doors for me,” said Dobyns. “I am forever grateful for the Partners in Excellence Program. They have given me a family forever and opportunities I never would have had.”
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