Nativity vs. St. Bernadette

[Anonymous]

We are considering moving from public to one of the above Catholic schools. We live in Burke and are Catholic. I know that we are bit behind the ball for this upcoming school year.

I like that Nativity has a focus on STEM and in my mom group many have heard great things about the school. Less is known about St. Bernadette, but their website seems to indicate they have open spots for next year.

We have three kids that would be going into K, 4th and 7th next year.

Any insights?

[Anonymous]

This late in the game, I'd be surprised if you can get all 3 placed at the same school for next year.

Good luck and keep us posted on the outcome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are considering moving from public to one of the above Catholic schools. We live in Burke and are Catholic. I know that we are bit behind the ball for this upcoming school year.

I like that Nativity has a focus on STEM and in my mom group many have heard great things about the school. Less is known about St. Bernadette, but their website seems to indicate they have open spots for next year.

We have three kids that would be going into K, 4th and 7th next year.

Any insights?

Agree with PP that you may be late in the game, especially for a middle schooler (there tends to be a jump in applications at grade 6 and beyond for parents who are considering Catholic High Schools).

We are a St B family and love it there. I do think it is less "tech focused" than some other Catholic schools, which we like (we prefer less screen time).

[Anonymous]

St B family here and we love it. Very low tech compared to other schools in the area. 1 dc graduated already and was very prepared for HS. I would call quickly for a tour because 4th and 7th are probably close to full if not full already. The middle school is strict but (imo) kids need that structure and consistency at that age. The 4th grade and K teachers are beloved by the students.

[Anonymous]

Curriculum is dictated by the Diocese so the biggest difference will be the size. St B's is 2 classes per grade and Nativity is 1. Single track grades can seem small after a while and can impact the classes they're able to offer, especially in math.

From purely a logistical standpoint, I'm often driving by St B's at arrival/dismissal time and never envy the parents trying to turn out of the parking lot onto OKM on the days when there's no police helping, like on late arrival snow days. But that's a small annoyance in the grand scheme of things. My high schoolers both have friends at BI who went there and the friends are top students in honors/AP classes, so they must have had good preparation in middle school.

[Anonymous]

If you can get 1 in, the other two will turn into siblings and would move to the head of the line for consideration if spots open up later in the summer or mid-year.

[Anonymous]

OP here.

Thank you for all the advice!

It sounds like St. Bernadette's might be more what we are looking for in terms of math/middle school options.

I will start reaching out.