As with most private schools and colleges in the country, tuition alone does not cover the full cost of educating a child at the Highlands.  The Highlands School strives to keep tuition at an affordable level while continuing its mission of providing a quality Catholic education.  Tuition and fees cover approximately 75% of the cost of educating a Highlands student.  The remaining 25% comes from voluntary, tax-deductible donations to The Highlands School. These donations also help supplement scholarship aid to deserving students who otherwise could not attend The Highlands School.

We are quite enthusiastic about this year’s goals for the Annual Fund Drive.  It will certainly be a challenge, but we are confident that it is attainable.  Last year our goal was $250,000.  Thanks to the generosity of many of our families, we beat our own goal and raised just over $300,000.  However, there was still room for growth in the area of participation.  This year, if we have strong participation we should be able to be able to raise our new goal for this year:  $350,000. 
                                                                           
Why is participation so important?  The level of commitment and moral support from our families speaks volumes to foundations and other individual donors in the greater Dallas community and encourages them to be generous with the Highlands too.  It shows that the entire Highlands community is doing everything it can.  Not infrequently, foundations consider annual fund drive participation as one of the factors in determining if they will support a given institution. 

Strong participation in the Annual Fund Drive will generate funds necessary for future operating expenses, academic excellence and, in addition, will foster something hard to put a price on—a tangible commitment to our students and our school from everyone.

As in the past, there are several giving levels:

Founder’s Council*             $10,000
Leadership League*            $  5,000
President’s Circle*               $  2,500
Benefactors’ Club*               $  1,000
Highland’s Trail Blazer    up to $ 999

* We will be hosting a thank you dinner in May for all those who contribute at the Benefactors’ Club level or higher.

Your contribution will help support the ongoing success of the Highlands School.  Here are some of the highlights from the past few months:

• Last Fall, our entire lower and middle school ranked with a class average in the top 20% in the country on the Iowa Standardized test.
• Just this month we were recognized by the Cardinal Newman Society by being named to the National Top 50 Catholic Honor Roll High Schools list.  We have received this recognition every year since 2005.
• Last Spring, 12% percent of our senior class has earned recognition as National Merit Scholars, placing them in the academic top 3% in the country.    
• 7 of our seventh grade boys and girls qualified for the Duke University’s Talent Identification Program.
• And all these great things aren’t even what we’re best at: a great environment of faith and character building, where students flourish and mature as true children of God.

The Highlands is the school you have chosen for those you love most.  Your support for the Annual Fund Drive supports them.  Count on my prayers for you and your family.  May God bless you!

Sincerely,

Fr. Daniel Ray, LC
President
The Highlands School