The Best Private Schools in Great Bend, Kansas
Discover 3 exceptional private schools in Great Bend. Find the perfect educational environment for your child with our comprehensive reviews and ratings.
School Overview
Top-Rated Private Schools
Holy Family Elementary School
Catholic Diocese of Dodge City
Holy Family Elementary School is a highly-regarded Catholic private school serving students from preschool through 6th grade. The school provides a strong faith-based education combined with rigorous academic programs. Features include small class sizes, dedicated teachers, modern technology integration, and comprehensive extracurricular activities including sports, music, and art programs. The school emphasizes character development and community service while maintaining high academic standards that prepare students for secondary education.
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Thomas More Prep-Marian
Catholic Diocese of Salina
Thomas More Prep-Marian is a highly-rated Catholic college preparatory school located in Hays (approximately 45 miles from Great Bend) serving students in grades 7-12. The school offers both day and boarding options and is known for its strong academic program, with 99% of graduates attending college. Features include advanced placement courses, comprehensive fine arts programs, competitive athletics, and faith formation. The school serves students from across western Kansas and has a strong reputation for academic excellence and college preparation.
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St. John's Military School
Independent Military School
Located in nearby Salina (approximately 60 miles from Great Bend), St. John's Military School is one of the premier private military boarding schools in the region serving students in grades 6-12. The school offers a structured environment focused on academic excellence, leadership development, and character building. Features include small class sizes, dedicated faculty, comprehensive athletic programs, and college preparatory curriculum. The school serves students from across Kansas and has historically drawn students from the Great Bend area seeking a rigorous private education with leadership focus.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about private schools in Great Bend, Kansas
What are the primary private school options available for families in Great Bend, Kansas, and what distinguishes them?
Great Bend offers a few distinct private school options, each with a unique focus. **Holy Family Elementary School** is a Catholic, co-educational school serving Pre-K through 6th grade, emphasizing faith-based education in a traditional day school setting. **St. John's Military School** is an all-boys, college-preparatory boarding school for grades 5-12, renowned for its structured military model and leadership development; it draws students from across the region and country. **Thomas More Prep-Marian (TMP-Marian)** is a Catholic, co-educational high school (grades 9-12) that offers both day and boarding options, with a strong emphasis on college prep and extracurricular activities. This limited selection means families often choose based on desired grade level, educational philosophy (military vs. traditional parochial), and whether boarding is a consideration.
How does tuition at Great Bend, KS private schools compare to state averages, and what financial aid options are typically available?
Tuition in Great Bend is generally below the national private school average but varies significantly by institution. For the 2023-2024 academic year, Holy Family Elementary's tuition is approximately $3,000-$4,000 annually, making it accessible for many local families. St. John's Military School and TMP-Marian, as boarding-capable institutions, have higher costs, with boarding tuition often exceeding $30,000 and day student tuition in the $8,000-$12,000 range. Kansas offers the **Tax Credit for Low Income Students Scholarship Program**, which can provide scholarships for eligible students to attend private schools. Additionally, all three schools offer need-based financial aid, parish subsidies for Catholic families at Holy Family and TMP-Marian, and merit-based scholarships, especially at the secondary level. It's crucial to contact each school's admissions office directly for the most current figures and application processes.
What specialized academic or extracurricular programs are offered by private high schools in Great Bend that might not be available in the public district?
The private high schools in Great Bend provide niche programs that cater to specific student interests. **St. John's Military School** offers a distinctive JROTC program, aviation ground school, and a structured leadership curriculum integrated throughout the academic day. **Thomas More Prep-Marian** features a strong **International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme**, a rarity in central Kansas, providing a globally recognized, rigorous curriculum. Both schools often have smaller class sizes than Great Bend High School, allowing for more individualized attention. Extracurricularly, TMP-Marian has a robust tradition in athletics and fine arts within the Mid-Continent League, while St. John's offers unique activities like drill team and rifle marksmanship. These specialized offerings can be a deciding factor for families seeking a particular educational environment.
What is the typical enrollment timeline and process for private schools in Great Bend, and are there waitlists?
Enrollment processes in Great Bend are school-specific but generally begin in the winter for the following fall. **Holy Family Elementary** often has open enrollment for parishioners in January, opening to the wider community shortly after. **St. John's Military School** and **TMP-Marian** have rolling admissions but encourage applications by early spring, especially for boarding students needing housing assignments. The process typically involves an application form, academic records, teacher recommendations, a family interview, and an entrance assessment. For St. John's, a physical fitness assessment is also part of the evaluation. While Holy Family may have capacity limits in certain grades, the boarding schools' capacity can be more fluid. However, popular grades or boarding spaces can fill, so initiating contact by January or February is highly recommended to secure a spot and complete financial aid paperwork.
For families considering both public and private options in Great Bend, what are the key local factors to weigh in the decision?
The decision in Great Bend often hinges on educational philosophy, cost, and desired student experience. The **Great Bend USD 428** public schools offer a comprehensive, tuition-free K-12 education with diverse programs, including a recognized STEM academy at the high school. The private options provide religious formation (Catholic), specific disciplinary structures (military), or specialized curricula (IB). A key local factor is **community and scale**: private schools offer smaller, close-knit environments where students are often known by all faculty. For secondary education, another consideration is **boarding**: St. John's and TMP-Marian provide a residential component, which can be beneficial for families seeking a 24/7 structured environment or for those living in surrounding rural areas. Ultimately, visiting both a public school and the private schools is essential to feel the difference in culture and assess the best fit for your child's needs.
Private Education Insights
Discover Top-Rated Small Private Schools Near Great Bend, KS
When you search for "small private schools near me" in Great Bend, Kansas, you are tapping into a rich educational tradition that values community, individualized attention, and strong foundational values. For families in Barton County and the surrounding plains, the decision to explore private education often stems from a desire for a more tailored learning environment where every student is known by name. The intimate setting of a small school can be a profound advantage, fostering not just academic growth but also character development in a supportive, close-knit atmosphere. Here in Great Bend, you have several distinctive options that each offer a unique approach within that small-school framework.
Consider Holy Family Elementary School, a cornerstone of local Catholic education. This Pre-K through 6th grade school provides a classic, faith-based foundation where small class sizes are a given. The focus here is on nurturing the whole child in a family-like environment, emphasizing core academics, spiritual development, and community service. For parents seeking a seamless transition into a private system from an early age, Holy Family represents a warm and structured beginning. It’s the type of school where teachers, parents, and parish members work in concert, creating a stable and familiar extension of the home.
For families with older students, particularly those looking at middle and high school years, the landscape offers specialized paths. St. John’s Military School, while a boarding school, also serves local day students and presents a unique proposition. Its structure is built on leadership, self-discipline, and academic rigor within a small cadet corps. This environment isn’t for every student, but for a young person who would thrive with clear structure, physical activity, and a tight-knit brotherhood, it can be transformative. It answers the search for "small private schools near me" with a program that is truly one-of-a-kind in central Kansas.
Then there is Thomas More Prep-Marian, a co-educational Catholic junior-senior high school in nearby Hays, which draws many families from the Great Bend area. While a short commute, it is a frequent consideration for parents seeking a comprehensive, college-preparatory experience within a faith-based community. TMP-Marian offers the academic and extracurricular breadth of a larger school—think competitive athletics, arts, and clubs—while maintaining a small enough enrollment to ensure personal mentorship. It exemplifies how private schools in our region often serve a wider geographic community, connecting students from smaller towns to a vibrant campus life.
Your search in Great Bend ultimately leads to reflecting on what "small" means for your child. Does it mean the single-classroom feel of an elementary school, the focused discipline of a leadership academy, or the connected community of a regional junior-senior high? The beauty of our local options is that they each provide that essential personalized attention but through different lenses. We encourage you to visit, ask about student-teacher ratios, observe the campus culture, and feel the sense of community. In the plains of Kansas, where community ties run deep, these small private schools stand as testaments to the power of educating the individual, not just the classroom.
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