Scouting America and the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) today announced the first national strategic partnership between the two organizations, a collaboration built on a shared conviction that young people grow into who they are meant to be when adults invest in their character, their faith, and their capacity to lead.
The partnership was formalized at Scouting America’s national headquarters in Irving, TX, where leaders from both organizations were joined by representatives of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and the National Catholic Committee on Scouting (NCCS) — the two bodies through which Catholic Scouting has been supported and shepherded for nearly a century.
Together, the four organizations have set a shared goal of establishing approximately 2,000 new Scouting units and serving roughly 40,000 additional young people across Catholic schools and parishes.
A relationship with deep roots and room to grow
The Catholic community is Scouting America’s largest chartering partner type by unit count, with more than 1,700 Catholic parishes currently sponsoring Scouting programs. Catholic schools, however, remain a largely untapped channel. Of NCEA’s 5,829 member schools, only 61 currently charter a Scouting unit — roughly one percent.
Both organizations see that gap not as a shortcoming but as an invitation.
“Catholic schools have always understood that education is about far more than academics — it is about forming the whole person. Scouting has spent more than a century doing exactly that work. Bringing these two traditions together gives our schools a proven, ready-made way to extend formation beyond the classroom and into the outdoors, into service, and into leadership. We are honored to enter this partnership.”
— Dr. Steven F. Cheeseman, President/CEO, National Catholic Educational Association
“We are humbled by this partnership and by what it says about the trust the Catholic education community is placing in Scouting. Our two organizations arrived at the same conclusion from different directions: young people flourish when caring adults walk alongside them. This agreement is our commitment to make that experience available to far more students, in far more communities, than either of us could reach alone.”
— Roger Krone, President and CEO of Scouting America
Built through the Church’s own structures
Both organizations were deliberate in bringing NCCS and the USCCB into the partnership from the outset rather than after the fact — a reflection of how Catholic Scouting has always worked, through dioceses, pastors, and school leaders who know their own communities best.
“Catholic Scouting is not a program that is delivered to the Church; it is a ministry that lives inside it. Having NCEA at the table alongside us means school and parish leaders can now work from the same playbook. That alignment is what makes this partnership meaningful, and what will make it last.”
— Bill Guglielmi, chair, National Catholic Committee on Scouting
What comes next
Over the coming months, the partnership will focus on making it genuinely easy for a Catholic school to say yes. Planned areas of work include:
- Clear, school-ready guidance on how a Catholic school charters and sustains a Scouting unit, including safe-environment alignment between diocesan requirements and Scouting America’s Safeguarding Youth Training.
- Joint presence at NCEA convenings, giving school leaders direct access to Scouting professionals and volunteers who can answer questions in real time.
- Shared resources for pastors, principals, and diocesan leaders, developed collaboratively so that the message reaching Catholic schools is consistent, accurate, and rooted in the mission both organizations already share.
- A coordinated support structure connecting Scouting America’s local councils with diocesan and school leadership in the communities where new units will form.
Families, educators, and parish leaders interested in learning more can visit this link to start the conversation.
About the National Catholic Educational Association
Founded in 1904, the National Catholic Educational Association is the largest private professional education association in the world, representing Catholic school educators serving students in early childhood, elementary, secondary, and higher education. NCEA supports 5,829 member schools through professional development, public policy, and resources rooted in the mission of Catholic education. Learn more at www.NCEA.org.
