Catholic or independent school for high school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Independent schools are more diverse, provide unequivocal if not superior education, and build a peer network that is far broader and stronger, in my opinion.

That certainly is not universally true. Depends on which specific schools you are comparing.

Huh? How?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Burke and Field are going to have a very different feel than DeMatha and O’Connell. Also, sports at Burke and Field may not be what an athletic kid is looking for unless they are also active in a club team. I would have your child tour these schools and see which atmosphere they prefer. If you aren’t Catholic, you may not want a Catholic high school. I don’t know about Bullis, but Field doesn’t have AP classes. This may or may not be important to your family. Good luck. Lots of great schools in the DC area. I have had kids at independent Catholic high schools and the $50k private schools. Great experiences for my kids at both.

Burke and Field are not the only or the top (or even close) independent schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Independent schools are more diverse, provide unequivocal if not superior education, and build a peer network that is far broader and stronger, in my opinion.

That certainly is not universally true. Depends on which specific schools you are comparing.

Huh? How?

You really need clarification on this point?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Catholic high schools in the DMV are independent.

Some are. DeMatha is an independent school. O'Connell is diocesan, which makes it not independent.

OP's list is bizarre. I can't imagine a family considering O'Connell and Bullis, just because of commutes, or Field and DeMatha just because they are so different.

There are pairings that make sense to ask about. Bullis vs. St. Johns is a choice where it might come down to religion. But I can't imagine asking about DeMatha vs Burke, especially for a basketball player. Is this a kid who is going to make the team, and enjoy the level of competition at DeMatha? If so, they will likely be unhappy on Burke's team. On the other hand, if they aren't likely to make the team at DeMatha, will they miss playing?

[Anonymous]

Ah. The ever shrinking threads on Catholic schools. Every time I stop by there are fewer posts. I thought it worked the opposite

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Might also want to look at St Johns College, which is a Catholic HS in DC. Colleague’s kid played baseball there and thought it was a good balance of academics and athletics.

If the kid had a shot of playing baseball at SJC you would have already been in contact with the program by now. Just know that up front, if it’s going to be a deciding factor. Several threads about this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Burke and Field are going to have a very different feel than DeMatha and O’Connell. Also, sports at Burke and Field may not be what an athletic kid is looking for unless they are also active in a club team. I would have your child tour these schools and see which atmosphere they prefer. If you aren’t Catholic, you may not want a Catholic high school. I don’t know about Bullis, but Field doesn’t have AP classes. This may or may not be important to your family. Good luck. Lots of great schools in the DC area. I have had kids at independent Catholic high schools and the $50k private schools. Great experiences for my kids at both.

Burke and Field are not the only or the top (or even close) independent schools

They are the ones OP named.

It’s a weird list of schools, just not cohesive.

[Anonymous]

They are all schools where a good, bright but not Big 3 kid could do well. So don’t criticize

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They are all schools where a good, bright but not Big 3 kid could do well. So don’t criticize

I'm the one who said it was a weird list. I'm not saying they are weird schools. They're all great schools, but they're schools for very different kids. The only thing they have in common is that they aren't pressure cookers.

A kid who is going to want a large, structured, all boys, athletic powerhouse like DeMatha, is going to be different from the kid who wants the small, informal, coed, arts focused environment at Burke. The idea that someone would look at those two schools and decide solely based on Catholic/secular is weird. That doesn't mean that either school by itself is weird. They are wonderful places.

There are Catholic/secular pairings where the decision could come down to religion. Do I want Landon or Prep? Do I want Bullis or SJC? Do I want Holton or Stone Ridge? But DeMatha vs Burke isn't one of those choices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are all schools where a good, bright but not Big 3 kid could do well. So don’t criticize

I'm the one who said it was a weird list. I'm not saying they are weird schools. They're all great schools, but they're schools for very different kids. The only thing they have in common is that they aren't pressure cookers.

A kid who is going to want a large, structured, all boys, athletic powerhouse like DeMatha, is going to be different from the kid who wants the small, informal, coed, arts focused environment at Burke. The idea that someone would look at those two schools and decide solely based on Catholic/secular is weird. That doesn't mean that either school by itself is weird. They are wonderful places.

There are Catholic/secular pairings where the decision could come down to religion. Do I want Landon or Prep? Do I want Bullis or SJC? Do I want Holton or Stone Ridge? But DeMatha vs Burke isn't one of those choices.

Either that or the child has two very different sides each served by two very different schools. If a school like Landon is too expensive, try Gilman in Baltimore. Bus routes cover places as far away as Rt 50 near the bay bridge to southern Maryland. Excellent basketball and art. Many athlete-artists.