NEWMAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

What NEWMAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS does

Newman Catholic Schools is a nonprofit Catholic school system headquartered in Mason City, Iowa, providing early childhood through twelfth-grade education on a single integrated campus. Founded in the 1960s, the institution serves the parishes of North Iowa and welcomes students of all faiths, with an operational scope spanning infant childcare (since 1986), preschool, transitional kindergarten through grade 12, athletics, fine arts, and before/after-school programs. It also enrolls a small international cohort (1-3% of total enrollment) drawn from countries including Russia, China, and India, processed through an Enrollment Coordinator and partner placement agencies under F-1 visa arrangements through the Archdiocese of Dubuque. The school is governed by a Board of Education and supported by the separately incorporated Newman Catholic Foundation, which manages endowment and fundraising activities.

The school operates two physical locations in Mason City: a high school campus at 2445 19th St SW and an elementary campus at 2000 S. McKinley. Its core technology stack is standard educational infrastructure—PowerSchool for student information, IXL for supplemental learning, Follett Destiny for library cataloging, and Google Classroom for course delivery—augmented by Procare for childcare registration and RaiseRight for gift-card fundraising. The curriculum combines Catholic faith formation with academic instruction, requiring service hours, and offers more than 14 athletic teams, fine arts programming, and a four-House Community system for grades 6-12. The school holds multiple regional recognitions including Niche's "Best School in North Iowa" and "Top 10 Best Private High Schools in Iowa," and its childcare center is Iowa DHS-licensed with a 4-Star QRS rating.

The revenue model is a hybrid of recurring tuition, government funding pass-through, donations, and event-based fundraising. Listed tuition is $8,500 per student while the actual cost to educate is $11,000 per student for 2024-2025 (up from $8,000 in 2019), creating a $2,500 per-student gap that the Newman Foundation subsidizes. Iowa's Students First ESA program contributes $7,826 per student (2024-2025), administered by Odyssey. Financial aid is delivered through STO scholarships (over $225,000 annually), local scholarships (over $100,000), and an Annual Appeal campaign targeting $150,000. Additional revenue comes from the Knight of Luck and Luxury Gala, the Benchwarmers event, and the SCRIP gift-card program operated via RaiseRight.

Name

NEWMAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

Legal name

Newman Catholic Schools

Website

https://newmancatholic.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Newman Catholic Schools is a nonprofit Catholic school system in Mason City, Iowa, offering childcare, preschool, and TK-12 education on a single campus. It primarily serves North Iowa families plus a small international cohort, funded via tuition, Iowa ESA, scholarships, and foundation support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private K-12 Catholic Education

NAICS

Child Care Services (624410), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Preschool Programs within Private K–12 Schools (EDACABAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Childcare Centers (EDACAAAN), Faith-Based Before/After Care Programs (Early Years) (EDACAHAE)

Keywords

• Catholic K-12 education
• Early childhood education
• Faith-based schooling
• Preschool childcare services
• Private school education

Headquarters

HQ city

WAUSAU, Wisconsin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition: Families pay tuition which is subsidized by the Newman Foundation. Current tuition is $8,500 compared to $11,000 actual cost of education.
2. Education Savings Account (ESA) Funding: Iowa's Students First ESA program provides $7,826 per student (2024-2025) to offset family tuition at accredited nonpublic schools.
3. Newman Catholic Foundation: Nonprofit foundation established to provide endowments for the school and parishes. Receives endowment funds, distributes earnings for educational, pastoral, and ministry needs. Accepts various gifts including cash, bequests, appreciated securities, charitable remainder trusts, life insurance, and real estate.
4. Annual Appeal: Annual fundraising campaign with goal of $150,000 to bridge gap between tuition and actual cost of education.
5. Knight of Luck and Luxury Gala: Annual casino-themed gala event raising funds for the school. Features casino games, fine dining, auctions, and sponsorships.
6. Scrip Program: Gift card fundraising program through RaiseRight where families purchase gift cards for everyday shopping. Brands give up to 20% back to the school. 100% of proceeds go into a general Newman fund.
7. STO Scholarships: Student Tuition Organization scholarships. Families can apply through FACTS management. Over $225,000 in STO scholarships and over $100,000 in local scholarships distributed to families.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Newman Catholic Schools operates an early childhood through 12th grade Catholic school on a single campus in Mason City, Iowa, serving families in the parishes of North Iowa. The school delivers faith-based education, licensed childcare for children 6 weeks to 12 years, preschool, TK-12 academics, athletics (14+ teams), fine arts, and the House Community character program, with the Newman Catholic Foundation subsidizing tuition through fundraising and scholarships.

Product overview

Newman Catholic Schools is an early childhood through twelfth-grade Catholic school located in Mason City, Iowa, offering a unified portfolio of educational services. The core offering includes Newman Catholic Childcare (serving children 6 weeks to 12 years since 1986), Newman Catholic Preschool (Early 3s through 4-5 year old programs), and Transitional Kindergarten through 12th Grade education—all on one campus. Supporting programs include a House Community Program for grades 6-12, athletics (14+ teams), fine arts, clubs, and a Before/After School Program. The Newman Catholic Foundation manages fundraising through SCRIP, annual appeals, capital campaigns, and gala events to bridge the gap between tuition and actual educational costs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Newman Catholic Childcare
• Newman Catholic Preschool
• Transitional Kindergarten through 12th Grade Education
• Athletics Program
• Fine Arts Program
• House Community Program
• Before and After School Program
• Summer Program
• Newman Catholic Foundation

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OdysseycoreOthers · 24 January 2023Odyssey was selected by the state of Iowa through a competitive bid process to administer the Students First Education Savings Accounts program. They handle applications, financial transactions, compliance, fraud prevention, and customer service for ESA accounts.
• FIRE NE IowacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFIRE NE Iowa (Faith, Inclusion, Resources, and Education) partners with Newman Catholic as a certified Partner School. Each partner school must be active on the ignite inclusion committee and provide semi-annual and annual reports on progress. The partnership supports inclusive Catholic education initiatives.
• FACTS ManagementcoreOthersFACTS Management is an outside company that handles the confidential scholarship application process for STO and local Newman Catholic scholarships. Families apply through their system for financial aid.
• RaiseRightminorOthersRaiseRight (formerly SchoolKidz) is the gift card fundraising program partner. Families purchase gift cards through the RaiseRight app and participating brands give up to 20% back to Newman Catholic School.
• Mason CityminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCooperative sharing agreements with Mason City for athletic programming including Bowling, Girls Wrestling, Hockey, Rugby, Soccer, Tennis, Trapshooting, and Swimming. This allows Newman students to participate in sports not offered directly by the school.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Primrose Schools: National franchise network of accredited early childhood education and preschool programs. Comparable to Newman's childcare/preschool segment on quality rating systems, curriculum structure, and parent-paid tuition model.

Broad incumbents

• KinderCare Learning Companies: National provider of early childhood education and before/after-school care programs. Comparable to Newman's before/after-school and preschool programs in service mix and parental target market.
• Iowa Catholic Schools (Archdiocese of Dubuque Schools): Network of K-12 Catholic schools overseen by the same Archdiocese of Dubuque that Newman is affiliated with. Comparable as the broader institutional ecosystem that sets governance, curriculum expectations, and F-1 visa processing for Newman.
• Seton Catholic Schools: Archdiocese-supported network of Catholic elementary schools in the St. Louis region, similar to Newman's parish-networked approach but operating at greater scale across multiple campuses.
• Bright Horizons: Large U.S. provider of employer-sponsored childcare, early education, and preschool services. Comparable to Newman's infant-through-school-age childcare offering in terms of services but operates at vastly greater scale through employer partnerships.
• Notre Dame Schools: Larger Catholic K-12 system in a different U.S. region operating multiple campuses with a similar parish-affiliated, foundation-supported tuition model. Comparable as a scaled version of Newman's operating structure.

Others

• FACTS (Facts Management): Vendor partner providing tuition management, financial aid processing, and student information systems to private K-12 schools including Newman. Comparable as the operational technology backbone used by Newman's admissions and scholarship process.

Direct peers

• Kuemper Catholic School System: Catholic PK-12 school system in Carroll, Iowa, operating on a single campus with parish affiliation and a foundation-driven fundraising model. Comparable in scale, structure, and Iowa diocesan context.
• Holy Family Catholic Schools: Diocesan Catholic PK-12 school system in the upper Midwest with a similar structure of parish-served elementary and high school campuses, single-system foundation, and tuition-subsidy model. Directly comparable as a small regional Catholic K-12 institution.
• Beckman Catholic High School: Catholic secondary school in eastern Iowa affiliated with the Archdiocese of Dubuque, sharing the same archdiocesan oversight as Newman. Comparable as a faith-based private school in the same region.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/NewmanKnights
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCB2sKStCWoUuQlfmGaAfxBw
• Facebookfacebook.com/NewmanKnights
• Instagraminstagram.com/newmancatholic/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/newman-catholic-schools

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NEWMAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS