Has anyone been unhappy with Gonzaga?

[Anonymous]

Reading this board, it seems everyone absolutely loves loves Gonzaga.

DS will apply next year, but just curious if anyone has had a less than stellar experience? It’s weird to me there’s essentially nothing negative written about the school on here ever. No school is perfect?!

Are there some kids who don’t do well/like it? I have heard the homework is intense

[Anonymous]

No personal experience there but have a middle schooler in parochial Catholic school and been talking to parents about high schools for the last few years. I have heard many parents say great things about Gonzaga. I have also heard from a few parents that they are not good with accommodations, as in, they will offer them, but several teachers discourage kids from using them. If this is wrong, hopefully someone with personal experience will correct me.

Like anything, how happy you are with the school depends on what your student needs and what type of learner they are.

[Anonymous]

I’ve read negative things about kids who need extra support.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No personal experience there but have a middle schooler in parochial Catholic school and been talking to parents about high schools for the last few years. I have heard many parents say great things about Gonzaga. I have also heard from a few parents that they are not good with accommodations, as in, they will offer them, but several teachers discourage kids from using them. If this is wrong, hopefully someone with personal experience will correct me.

Like anything, how happy you are with the school depends on what your student needs and what type of learner they are.

OP here—good point

[Anonymous]

A friend’s son goes there and I have heard some negative things about the “cult” like atmosphere at GZ. Most parents are “all in” and actively shower the school with nothing but praise and love. A sense of superiority is cultivated in students from day one. Some spin this as creating a strong brotherhood, but for others it is a bit much. There are parents who want a strong Catholic education for their sons but who don’t want to drink the kool aid. I’ve also heard about horrible sportsmanship shown by some of GZ’s teams, which is not embraced by all parents.

[Anonymous]

You must have not been around for the destroying of the house, the stands at Catholic and the feces left on the stand at another school.

The cult like atmosphere. Talk to a graduate whose kids go elsewhere.

But not ever school has to be perfect for everybody. It is what it is, some love it some hate it, some are indifferent.

[Anonymous]

Currently have two boys there and don't have a bad word to say about it. There's def a segment of parents who are way way into all things Gonzaga but there's also a bunch of chill people who are more my speed. Classes are challenging, which is what we wanted. Sports teams can be tough to make. Location is a big plus, having the boys take the Metro or drive themselves in helps them grow up a bit. Service is stressed which is also cool.

For context, both sons came from public, we're in east Moco, both my wife and I work, def UMC but not crazy rich or anything.

[Anonymous]

I will chime in as a parent who doesn’t bleed all purple. My son graduated a few years ago, but we didn’t send his brother bc he needed some academic support and we knew Gonzaga would not be the place to get it.

My son who graduated entered in a Covid year, so he was virtual some days and on campus some. That made a more difficult transition. He didn’t really find his group until junior year, but he found a great group when he did.

He came from a Catholic K-8 in Upper MoCo. Our school only sent one other kid to GZ that year and he was an athlete on a very popular team. My son did a sport, but not a popular sport, and wasn’t good at it. If you come to GZ knowing kids or being part of a team that’s popular, you can fit in easily. Otherwise, it may take you time to find your tribe.

Additionally, we are a very middle class family who also received financial aid. We go on one vacation a year and it’s to the beach for a week, my spouse is blue collar, we are not the country club elite. Sometimes I felt uncomfortable around families, but that’s my issue, not theirs.

I found some teachers at GZ to be great, but some to be way too rigid just for the sake of being rigid. Bc they could be. It’s the GZ way, after all.

Anyway, long way to say, we did like it, my son was a legacy there (grandfather attended), but his brother didn’t go. With any school, it’s not perfect, but it did shape my son to be compassionate, thoughtful, and he chose a Jesuit college. I don’t think he would’ve otherwise.

[Anonymous]

Washington Post Headline:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/acts-of-extreme-vandalism-by-students-stun-gonzaga-college-high-school/2019/02/15/ba02b7ee-306d-11e9-8ad3-9a5b113ecd3c_story.html

[Anonymous]

OP here--I truly appreciate all of these reponses. They seem honest and balanced.

[Anonymous]

My DS graduated a few years ago. He had a positive experience and for the most part, we were happy with his experience and the school. Our DS was a recruited athlete which is why we sent him to Gonzaga. Our two other children attended our local public high school.

No school is perfect and I have complaints about our public high school.

The main thing I didn't like about Gonzaga was the entitled air about many of the boys: At every single football game I attended, I saw visibly drunk Gonzaga students. I have gone to our local high school football games for over 20 years and very rarely see drunk students. The boys at Gonzaga are extremely polite to adults but I noticed at many events, there was always a significant number of boys who did not clean up after themselves - dirty plates/napkins would be left on tables instead of being thrown into the trash cans. At our public high school, I've witnessed students being extremely rude to adults but they know to clean up after themselves. I witnessed unsportsmanlike behavior at several Gonzaga sporting events. Again, something I rarely saw when my other two played for our local high school.

[Anonymous]

My son is a senior at Gonzaga. The school has been positive for him. The location is a pain in the butt. There are a lot of good things about the school but the teachers are a mixed bag.

[Anonymous]

I graduated from an area girls catholic school a million years ago and Gonzaga had the reputation of entitled jerks who partied hard and often damaged houses, etc.

And now that I have kids in area catholic high schools, I can confirm that the reputation is still very much alive today.

Now that doesn’t mean the entire student body is comprised by arrogant, spoiled boys who embrace the frat bro mentality in high school, but it does seem to be visible enough to students at other schools.

A common refrain from students at other schools is something like this: “The party was fun until a bunch of pri$&s from Gonzaga showed up and started trouble prompting the neighbors to call the police.” Same sentiment in 2025 as 1995. At least the boys are consistent ;0)

[Anonymous]

For every rowdy, drunk GZ guy, there’s a kind, sweet, nerdy GZ guy. Trust that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For every rowdy, drunk GZ guy, there’s a kind, sweet, nerdy GZ guy. Trust that.

I read that stat as suggesting one runs away.