Why are so many public school kids applying to Catholic high school?

[Anonymous]

APS family planning to move private for 9th. The equity and DEI stuff is annoying but it’s not our reason for leaving. we are underwhelmed by the public high schools. Too big, too many discipline issues. Race to the bottom with the lack of rigor in middle school.

[Anonymous]

Public schools all across the country have seen declines since the pandemic. So it’s not just the DC area public schools.

The public schools here are still growing however, so with more families options for private Catholic and independent schools it probably all balances out.

Parochial schools are benefiting the most however after decades of declining enrollment and school closures, they are now very much in demand and sometimes turning students away. It probably also helps that the “strict nun” stereotype has been relegated to stories about growing up in the 1950s or 1960s and has no relevance today.

[Anonymous]

Another reason is that many Catholic HSs offer structured support to students with learning differences. Such supports can be difficult to come by in public schools. Many other privates choose not to support these students and screen them out during admissions and counsel them out if they are admitted - usually in their younger years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Far less expensive than other privates and easier to get into

Bingo!

[Anonymous]

Because it’s far cheaper than the regular not brainwashing type private

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because it’s far cheaper than the regular not brainwashing type private

A lot of those privates are all in on the brainwashing. Catholic HS is the sweet spot. More affordable, sane and the graduates actually learn something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of public school parents, even the fairly liberal ones, are uncomfortable with the progressive indoctrination that is now occurring in the public and private schools. They are seeking a more balanced, moderate environment where kids are taught to think for themselves. And yes, it’s completely ironic that the best place for this is actually a Catholic school.

This is not why. The pandemic exposed the priorities of public schools and school boards and it was not the children so people looked for alternatives. Catholic high schools are cheaper and provide structure so fewer behavioral issues. Also many Catholic high schools are feeders to top schools like Georgetown (Visi has a dual enrollment program), Notre Dame and Boston College.

I think it is definitely a combination of both. The progressive indoctrination was exposed during the pandemic when parents were in the same room as their kids during virtual learning and could overhear what was being taught.

This was a main driver for us moving to Catholic for HS. Progressive middle school was pushing a pro-LGB agenda with mandatory sexualized literature, social clubs hosting rainbow theme pizza lunch, counselors looking for reasons to be outraged. New school sticks to education and teachers don't bring up sexual topics.

Yes, this. Elementary and MS kids don’t need discussions about sex and gender identities during class time. Even though our all-girls MS Catholic school is very progressive, it does stop short of encouraging these discussions during “health class” and tells the students to talk more with their parents if they have further questions. The school also emailed parents to let us know what will be taught in that class. I appreciated that.

[Anonymous]

When we purchased in DC, we had always planned to consider private for MS and HS.
We are Catholic - and had considered our parish school but did not get in for PreK as the class was filled with siblings.

[Anonymous]

We applied because we don't like our DC by-right high school (not Jackson-Reed) and knew that Walls was a very fickle application process. Non-catholic privates are beyond our financial means. We aren't catholic or religious in general and are grateful that there is a more reasonably priced option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our daughter at SR has had tons of new classmates from public over the past few years, it is a noticeable increase. They seem surprised that middle school girls are expected to do more than an hour of homework per night even to get Bs and that they are all reading full books as a class even in lower school. Maybe the publics have gone downhill.

Equity measures have lowered standards at public schools in general with fairly broad support in this area, to the surprise of families that want more rigor. However, a number of public schools (especially at the high school level) still offer very challenging courses that require a lot of work. There is a disconnect since many public middle school students are not prepared for the amount of work and challenge at their public high schools (for classes higher than the gen ed level).

[Anonymous]

I taught at a Catholic HS 20 years ago and there were plenty of students who had not attended Catholic k-8.

You just weren’t aware/dont remember accurately where everyone else came from.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Far less expensive than other privates and easier to get into

And the curriculum is solid. Also, the curriculum does not change with the latest educational method fad. Very good fit for many children snd families. We happen to be Protestant, and we are considering Catholic schooling.

[Anonymous]

Been happening for decades here. Numbers may be up but has been the case for generations. Certainly you don't think Dematha, GC, etc. churned out all those championships with just Catholic K-8 kids...

[Anonymous]

DH and I are both public school teachers so we are witnessing first hand the decline of school climate in the last 10 years. Students are no longer disciplined or held accountable in any way. Students can wander hallways, enter your class, fight, verbally and physically assault other students and staff with impunity. So many students and parents are appalled their kids are required to actually do work to earn passing grades. Then when they complain to administration, teachers are questioned as to why they aren't doing more to reach the student and build a relationship.

Our kids started in public schools that were supposedly good schools but pulled them out in 4th and 6th grades and sent them to Catholic schools for the structure, the price, the atmosphere of respecting teachers and staff, etc.

So many fellow public school teachers are doing the same.

[Anonymous]

As a Catholic with kids in Catholic schools, I only ask non-Catholics wanting to attend Catholic schools to please respect our Catholic traditions and teachings. Don’t think you can try to “subvert” Catholic teachings from within, as one teacher did at an all-girls Catholic school.