The Heights, Mater Dei, vs Holy trinity: what’re best DC area private Catholic boysElementary school
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Anonymous
| Any suggestionS? |
Anonymous
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What HS do you want to go to? I feel like Mater Dei is a feeder for Prep, Heights usually stay through HS there and Holy Trinity (I thought was coed was a feeder for Gonzaga (though, of course some go elsewhere from all 3).
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Anonymous
| How Catholic are you? We are devout and The Heights would be our top if we still lived in DC. |
Anonymous
Georgetown Prep without a doubt. (OP) |
Anonymous
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Mare Dei is all boys with lots of male teachers in upper grades. Athletics are emphasized. And it has become a feeder for Georgetown Prep.
Our active, athletic, resilient boys benefitted significantly from the experience. But it wasn’t always easy for them. |
Anonymous
Catholic is how we were raised. Although we do still have faith, we do not attend church regularly. Having said this, through research, it is clear to us that it is in disputed the children raised with faith are happier. For that reason, we are looking for a school that meaningfully includes religion in its curriculum. |
Anonymous
Mater Dei is the clear choice. So many kids go to Prep from Mater Dei that is can be difficult for kids coming from other schools to find their place socially. Almost the whole mater dei class typically goes there. Barely any Holy Trinity kids go to Prep. Not sure about the Heights but I would guess most of them stay for High School. |
Anonymous
Do you mean academically, or was it too religion-focused? Also, congratulations on Prep! |
Anonymous
| I think someone already pointed it out, but just to be clear. You know Holy Trinity is coed, right? |
Anonymous
I agree with this sentiment and it factored into us sending our kids to catholic school, though we differ in that we attended mass most of the time before kids went to school. I'm certain my kids are better off because of it. That said, The Heights seems to have particularly devout families with more traditional Catholic views. Maybe you lean this way and would be happy to end up on that faith journey, but it's a factor. But if you want Georgetown Prep then 100% Mater Dei. |
Anonymous
| Sounds like you are looking at all boys schools, but if not look at The Woods Academy for catholic co-ed. They have 6-7 boys to Prep, 6-7 boys to Gonzaga, and others to co-ed high schools such as SJC or Good Counsel. |
Anonymous
The religion part was easy. The school is strongly Catholic. But not so much that it creates a problem. The academics weren’t always easy. They are pretty stringent when it comes to meeting requirements. The male teachers and administrators don’t coddle the boys in the upper grades. One of ours chafed under that a little bit. But, longer term he benefitted from this approach. They insist the boys behave and interrelate in a certain manner. Some may scoff at the “be good guys” part of their motto, but they really do try and inculcate that in the boys. It’s not for everyone. But it fits like Cinderella’s slipper for some. |
Anonymous
You have a good way of summarizing the experience. It was a transformative experience for our son who entered MD in the 6th grade. I have a feeling that he will be friends with many of his classmates for life. Some ended up going to Prep and some ended up going to Gonzaga, but it doesn't seem to have dented their relationships one bit. Additionally, the cohort our son was in had a few boys who were extremely advanced in math. MD not only kept up with that but set them up for a great experience in high school. I agree that the school may not be for everyone; however, for our son, it was a wonderful experience and we are so glad we moved him there from the local parochial. We would make the same choice again in a heartbeat. We had to totally revamp our work schedules to get him there every day (thank God for Grandma and Grandpa who were our backups in a pinch) but it was totally worth it. |
Anonymous
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Our boys are at The Heights and we love it -- rigorous academics and a classical education, grounded in Catholic teaching; it also fits our rough-and-tumble boys well in terms of physical activity and athletics.
However, I would not be able to say what is "best" ... it all comes down to what you feel is right for your boys and your family. Unfortunately you just missed The Heights open house, however, you can hear some of the speeches plus a lot more of The Heights approach and philosophy from their podcasts: https://heightsforum.org/ Good luck! |
Anonymous
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One of my favorite Mater Dei stories concerns dealing with a class of boys who appear not to be ready to settle down and take instruction.
The instructor took them outside and had them run around the perimeter of the football field to get the excess energy burned off. It seemed to me to be a fantastic approach. That would never happen at a co-ed school. I'm not sure it happens at other all boys schools. Boys are different from girls and should be dealt with differently. Mater Dei gets that. |