Tell me about Good Counsel

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How many students per grade? I thought the school was quite large but I might be wrong. I thought they accepted most.

400 per grade or 1200 total.

But lots of demand because there are no Catholic high schools in this area and that’s the reason they located school there from Wheaton / Georgia Avenue.

Lots of demand means that acceptance has become more competitive. Plus they have a ton of alumni locally who want to send their kids there.

There are some other Catholic high schools that are reasonably close to Olney. But they are smaller, single sex and largely serve a different group.

[Anonymous]

I was really impressed by their open house

[Anonymous]

It’s a great facility and they’ve been on an upswing since they moved to Olney.

Like Paul VI in Chantilly, there isn’t any close competition. As a PP noted, it’s surprising how well they do with parish K8’s that used to favor Prep, GZA, Stone Ridge and SJCHS.

[Anonymous]

18 kids from St Elizabeth’s in Rockville are in the incoming freshman class at OLGC. That’s a huge number from a parish that’s equally close to St. John’s and almost walking distance to Prep and Holy Cross.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How many students per grade? I thought the school was quite large but I might be wrong. I thought they accepted most.

330

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s a great facility and they’ve been on an upswing since they moved to Olney.

Like Paul VI in Chantilly, there isn’t any close competition. As a PP noted, it’s surprising how well they do with parish K8’s that used to favor Prep, GZA, Stone Ridge and SJCHS.

I think the advantage is GC offers everything - strong academics if you have a kid who qualifies for that; help if your kid has ADHD or dyslexia; a ton of extracurricular clubs and a good sports atmosphere - meaning decent teams and lots of school spirit so games are well attended. You get the benefits of a private education with some of the perks offered by a public school - i.e., the sports, larger school so more friend/social options. Many from out K-8 are also going there this year and my 8th grade DD is also interested. My only worry is the class sizes/student-teacher ration.

[Anonymous]

*ratio

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many students per grade? I thought the school was quite large but I might be wrong. I thought they accepted most.

400 per grade or 1200 total.

But lots of demand because there are no Catholic high schools in this area and that’s the reason they located school there from Wheaton / Georgia Avenue.

Lots of demand means that acceptance has become more competitive. Plus they have a ton of alumni locally who want to send their kids there.

There are some other Catholic high schools that are reasonably close to Olney. But they are smaller, single sex and largely serve a different group.

Roughly 1200 total. Some grad years are smaller, others larger. The rising junior class was small at entry (under 250 if my memory is correct) but may have grown with transfers. I’ve heard the incoming freshman class is huge and the largest they’ve had. The applicant pool was also quite large this last year, so many more than usual were waitlisted or rejected.

St Elizabeth was mentioned up-thread. They’ve had a large contingent go to GC for years. While SJC is equidistant from St Es as GC, a lot of St Es families live in Manor or are up county from Rockville, so GC is closer to where the students live. Other feeder schools that seem to have significant presence at GC are St Peter’s, St. Patrick’s, and St. Louis. De Chantal placement is growing and there are a couple of Mercy grads there as well.

For those worried about admissions, I’ve been told that letters of recommendation from families that are current or recent grads can help with acceptances. This is in addition to the required recommendations from teachers.

[Anonymous]

How is such a large Catholic High School not just like a public school? Not seeing what the advantage is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How is such a large Catholic High School not just like a public school? Not seeing what the advantage is.

It has the benefits of a large school - coed, lots of activities and a broad number of classes including a highly regarded STEM program, a program for students with learning differences, an IB program, lots of honors and AP classes, so most or all students will find their place and friend group. Additionally, unlike a large public, the religious aspect is there for those of us that want it and think it’s important, the faculty and administration are accessible if needed, since it’s private, they don’t have to deal with some of the extremist nonsense that’s happening in MCPS, and a block schedule that’s been phenomenal for my student. There are rules and expectations with consequences when rules are broken and if a student is a problem (drinking, drugs, or something else) they can be counseled out or removed. The campus is new and gorgeous (unlike my MCPS school that needs work based on conversations with my neighbors). It’s also half the size or smaller than my MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is such a large Catholic High School not just like a public school? Not seeing what the advantage is.

It has the benefits of a large school - coed, lots of activities and a broad number of classes including a highly regarded STEM program, a program for students with learning differences, an IB program, lots of honors and AP classes, so most or all students will find their place and friend group. Additionally, unlike a large public, the religious aspect is there for those of us that want it and think it’s important, the faculty and administration are accessible if needed, since it’s private, they don’t have to deal with some of the extremist nonsense that’s happening in MCPS, and a block schedule that’s been phenomenal for my student. There are rules and expectations with consequences when rules are broken and if a student is a problem (drinking, drugs, or something else) they can be counseled out or removed. The campus is new and gorgeous (unlike my MCPS school that needs work based on conversations with my neighbors). It’s also half the size or smaller than my MCPS.

Still though, how can there be that one on one relationship with teachers and how can people really know each other with class sizes that big. 250 is a big high school class and the incoming class being more than that is just too large, IMO. I'd prefer class sizes that are under 100. I'm paying for individual attention you aren't getting that with classes that size, despite what they say.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is such a large Catholic High School not just like a public school? Not seeing what the advantage is.

It has the benefits of a large school - coed, lots of activities and a broad number of classes including a highly regarded STEM program, a program for students with learning differences, an IB program, lots of honors and AP classes, so most or all students will find their place and friend group. Additionally, unlike a large public, the religious aspect is there for those of us that want it and think it’s important, the faculty and administration are accessible if needed, since it’s private, they don’t have to deal with some of the extremist nonsense that’s happening in MCPS, and a block schedule that’s been phenomenal for my student. There are rules and expectations with consequences when rules are broken and if a student is a problem (drinking, drugs, or something else) they can be counseled out or removed. The campus is new and gorgeous (unlike my MCPS school that needs work based on conversations with my neighbors). It’s also half the size or smaller than my MCPS.

Still though, how can there be that one on one relationship with teachers and how can people really know each other with class sizes that big. 250 is a big high school class and the incoming class being more than that is just too large, IMO. I'd prefer class sizes that are under 100. I'm paying for individual attention you aren't getting that with classes that size, despite what they say.

There are plenty of other private schools with class sizes under 100 (SSFS is right around the corner from GC, and the class sizes are around 80-90). It's also more expensive.

[Anonymous]

Yah I'd rather pay more than send my kid to a factory.

[Anonymous]

Larger class size is one of the reasons GC is $30K (with lunch) and not $40K.

Smaller class size requires more teachers which increases costs.

If the difference between a Catholic high school and a public high school aren’t obvious, then no one on here is going to explain it to you. Catholics want their faith and community and family traditions reinforced. If those things aren’t important to you, Catholic schools aren’t for you.

The schools exist for these purposes and not to supply non-Catholics with more budget friendly alternatives to public schools. That may be why some struggle to understand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Larger class size is one of the reasons GC is $30K (with lunch) and not $40K.

Smaller class size requires more teachers which increases costs.

If the difference between a Catholic high school and a public high school aren’t obvious, then no one on here is going to explain it to you. Catholics want their faith and community and family traditions reinforced. If those things aren’t important to you, Catholic schools aren’t for you.

The schools exist for these purposes and not to supply non-Catholics with more budget friendly alternatives to public schools. That may be why some struggle to understand.

Umm, I am Catholic and went to Catholic schools my whole life. But thanks for explaining. And there are actually plenty of smaller Catholic schools around. But if you want a diluted version that emulates a big public high school, that's your choice.