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The Archdiocese of Cincinnati requires all 8th grade applicants to take the High School Placement Test (HSPT).  For students applying for the 2024-25 school year, the test will take place the morning of Saturday, November 18, 2023.  Students may take the HSPT at any high school and designate 3 schools to which to send their scores. McNicholas High School is a testing site. 

Students sign-up through the Archdiocese registration portal. Cost for the test is $30. Registration for the HSPT is open from August 1 – November 15, 2023.

HSPT Registration

Students requesting accommodations on the HSPT must indicate the request when registering and submit the accommodation plan to the testing site coordinator along with an Accomodation Form signed by your grade/middle school principal.  Accommodation requests are due by November 4, 2023.    

Interested in HSPT Test Prep classes?  Visit our HSPT page to learn more.

McNicholas High School accepts both EdChoice and Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarships funded by the state of Ohio. These are separate scholarship programs and students are eligible to apply for one or the other. Students must reside in the state of Ohio to qualify.

All students enrolled at McNicholas are required to apply for a state scholarship for the 2024-25 school year.

Please read below to learn more about your eligibility:

EdChoice

After the passage of House Bill 33 on June 30, 2023, ALL Ohio students are eligible for a state-funded, reduced, or full EdChoice Scholarship. EdChoice Scholarships range from $950 to full tuition and are applied to tuition only (fees cannot be covered by the EdChoice Scholarship). 

There are two types of EdChoice Scholarships: Traditional and Expansion.

Traditional Scholarships are awarded to students whose residential school district is on the State of Ohio’s designated list of schools in academic distress. The full Traditional Scholarship amount for the 2023-24 school year is $8,407. A family’s adjusted gross income is not a factor in receiving a Traditional Scholarship; it is based solely on residential school district.

EdChoice Expansion Scholarships are based on a family’s adjusted gross income and are awarded to families who reside in any Ohio school district. There are 2 types of EdChoice Expansion scholarships:

1. For families with an adjusted gross income above 200% of the Federal Poverty Level, the scholarship amounts for high school students for the 2023-24 school year range from a minimum of $950 to the full award amount of $8,407.
    
2. For families with an adjusted gross income below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level, the scholarship will cover full tuition at McNicholas.

The application and scholarship award amounts for EdChoice for the 2024-2025 school year will be published in early spring 2024. More information on how to apply will be provided after enrollment at McNicholas.

The Income Eligibility Requirements for EdChoice Expansion for 2023-2024 are avialable here.

To learn more about EdChoice, please visit the Ohio Department Education’s website.

Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship or Jon Peterson Special Needs Autism Scholarship

 The Jon Peterson Special Needs (JPSN) Scholarship Program through the Ohio Department of Education provides scholarships to students who have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) from their district. To qualify, a student must have a current IEP from his or her district of residence and all parties, including the parent, must be in agreement with the IEP.

The scholarship typically covers the price of the SAIL Program.

For more information on the scholarship and award qualifications and amounts, please visit the Ohio Department Education’s website.

Applications for the 2024-2025 school year are open September 1, 2023 through November 30, 2023. Please click on “Apply Now” below and create a parent portal account to access the application.  
 

Apply Now

If you are applying to the SAIL Program, you must also submit a separate SAIL Application, which you will find on your parent portal after applying to McNicholas.  

For questions about the application, please contact

Thanks to the generosity of the McNicholas community, we are able to offer financial assistance to families. McNicholas expects EdChoice Scholarship funds to be the first dollars applied towards a family’s need for tuition assistance as demonstrated through FACTS. McNicholas financial aid funds will be applied toward helping with demonstrated need that remains after the EdChoice Scholarship has been applied.

Students must apply to McNicholas before submitting a financial aid application.

The financial aid application for the 2024-2025 school year is open from September 1 through November 30, 2023.
 

Apply to McNicholas

Apply for Financial Aid

For questions about financial aid, please contact

Because McNicholas believes in providing opportunities for students with a wide range of passions and talents, we offer four types of scholarships and awards for the incoming Class of 2028. 

The scholarship application is open from September 1 – November 15, 2023 for the 2024-25 school year.

Scholarship applicants must apply to McNicholas High School to be considered for a scholarship. Once your admissions application is received, the scholarship application and any related recommendation forms will appear in your Parent Portal checklist to complete.

All McNicholas scholarships may be used for tuition only. The total amount of state and McNicholas awarded scholarships will not exceed the published tuition amount for 2024-25.

Academic Merit Scholarships

Academic Merit Scholarships are awarded based on High School Placement Test scores and grade/middle school performance and records. No additional application is required. The essay from your admission application will be reviewed as part of scholarship consideration.

Find Your Brilliance Scholarships

McNicholas is dedicated to guiding students to find their brilliance through inspiration and support from teachers and classmates. McNicholas Find Your Brilliance Scholarships attract and reward members of the Class of 2028 who have already demonstrated brilliance, students who are proven thought and action leaders, committed to setting the pace for excellence for their classmates.

• Brilliant Art + Design & Performing Artist
• Brilliant Bible Scholar
• Brilliant Community Builder
• Brilliant Compassionate Leader
• Brilliant Hard-Working Learner
• Brilliant Linguist
• Brilliant Orator
• Brilliant Reader
• Brilliant STEM Achiever

These scholarships are renewable for four years, provided that recipients demonstrate continued growth as positive examples for their classmates. HSPT scores are not used in the evaluation of Find Your Brilliance awards.  
 
In some instances, you will be asked to interact with our faculty, either virtually or in person, or provide teacher recommendation letters. Please refer to the scholarship guide for details.

Scholarship Guide
 

Named Scholarships

Named Scholarships are awarded based on review of the written scholarship application, with qualifications specified by our generous scholarship donors.

• Alumni Association “Heritage” Award 
• McNicholas Marching Band Scholarship
• Military Memorial Scholarship
• Polly Powers Sandmann Memorial Scholarship 
• Lt. David Wolfangel Memorial Scholarship

To be eligible for Named Scholarship, all applicants must complete a FACTS (financial aid) application. 

All named scholarships require additional information and qualifications. Please refer to the scholarship guide for details.

Scholarship Guide

Legacy Awards

To recognize our bond with our alumni, $500 Legacy Awards are given to applicants with at least one parent who is a graduate of McNicholas High School. All that is required is to indicate your parent(s) alumni information on the Admissions Application.

Please note: This award does not apply if a student receives a scholarship or other financial award valued at 50% of tuition or higher.
 

McNicholas requires academic records from the current or prior school of all applicants. 8^th graders applying to McNicholas from an Archdiocese of Cincinnati grade school will be provided a Records Release Form in the fall from their current school and records will be sent directly to McNicholas.

Applicants attending a non-Archdiocesan school will need to complete a Records Release Form. Please download the form below and submit it to your student’s current school. Your school will send the records directly to McNicholas High School.

Release of RecordS FOR 8TH GRADE STUDEnTs    
Release of RecordS FOR TRANSFER STUDEnTs    

Incoming freshmen who are considering a four-year art education are encouraged to submit a digital portfolio. A portfolio is a collection of your work, which shows how your skills and ideas have developed over a period of time. It demonstrates your creativity, personality, and abilities. The art portfolio is only used to place you in the appropriate course.

Please login to your parent portal account to access the Art Portfolio submission form and to learn more. The Art Portfolio submission form is listed under “Optional” admissions checklist items. You will be able to upload your pieces on this form.

Parent Portal Account Login  

The deadline to submit an art portfolio is January 30, 2024.

For questions about the art portfolio, please contact