Gonzaga - why don't we hear more about it?

Anonymous
I truly appreciate the value of single sex schools. I wonder why we do not discuss Gonzaga on this forum more often. I know that St. Albans and Landon are the top schools that are always referenced....but are their parents with first hand knowledge about Gonzaga? It is reported to have a strong academic and sports program......whats the feedback DCUMers?...
Anonymous
There was a thread a little while back where Gonzaga was discussed. People seemed to have mixed reviews, though there wasn't really any evidence on either side. My DH went there and we plan on sending our 2 sons there for high school. I know the school has changed a ton since my DH graduated 20 years ago, but from what I hear academics are still strong and I know some of their sports teams have been nationally ranked recently (soccer) . Of course we will have to look into more when our sons are older to ensure it is a good fit. That said, I don't think Gonzaga has the cache of Landon or St. Albans, but that doesn't mean it is not a good school. Also, it is a Catholic school where religion is a part of the education, so that might draw some families away from the school.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:There was a thread a little while back where Gonzaga was discussed. People seemed to have mixed reviews, though there wasn't really any evidence on either side. My DH went there and we plan on sending our 2 sons there for high school. I know the school has changed a ton since my DH graduated 20 years ago, but from what I hear academics are still strong and I know some of their sports teams have been nationally ranked recently (soccer) . Of course we will have to look into more when our sons are older to ensure it is a good fit. That said, I don't think Gonzaga has the cache of Landon or St. Albans, but that doesn't mean it is not a good school. Also, it is a Catholic school where religion is a part of the education, so that might draw some families away from the school.


I remember that thread. I tried searching for it. Can a thread be deleted by its author? Or did Jeff delete it because it got too mean-spirited?
Anonymous
Because Gonzaga is a high school, you probably won't hear it discussed much on this board, because, as far as I can discern, most of the posters have young children. Also because it's a Catholic school and they're not discussed as often.
Anonymous
PP, this board most certainly discusses religious schools with frequency...so thats not it. We discuss high schools often....so thats not it either.
Anonymous
The amount of time spent discussing the area Catholic schools pales in comparison to the time sent discussing GDS, Maret, Sidwell, etc. I don't know why, but frankly I am fine with it. I went to an excellent all-girls Catholic school in the area and I am not sure that I have ever seen it discussed here except for one thread months ago in which the OP revealed that she was afraid that if she sent her daughter to an all girls school she'd become a lesbian... Many people responded about the absurdity of that proposition and talked about how great many of the girls' schools are.

My impression of Gonzaga comes from the guys I hung out with in high school, many of whom I am friends with to this day. It may not have the cache of St. Albans, but it it very down to earth for a private school and turns out very well rounded kids. I also hope to send my son there in the future.
Anonymous
My guess is that there just aren't many parents with kids at Gonzaga on this board. A lot of the discussion of Maret, GDS and Sidwell seems to be initiated by parents with kids there, or kids who applied there.

Plus the poster pool itself may not be all that large (with many more lurking but not posting). With any smallish sample you may not get a representation of the larger population. Instead you get the obsessed.

So with a small poster pool, you may just not have many posters from Gonzaga to start and sustain a discussion.
Anonymous
It's "cachet" not "cache".
Anonymous
The academics are not that rigorous, and the fact that it is Catholic is a BIG turn off to many people.
Anonymous
The fact that it is Catholic is a BIG turn on for many Catholics. To the original poster, if you read this forums with any regularity, you'll notice that you don't see much about the Catholic schools period. And if you do, it's often about why people are turned off by them.

Some will no doubt post that it's because these schools aren't as rigorous, high-powered, etc, etc as the schools that seem to be on the minds of the parents who frequent the Schools forums here. That is ridiculous.

There are terrific Catholic schools in the area--Gonzaga, St Anselms, Prep, Stone Ridge, Visitation, etc etc. And there are subtle and not subtle differences in their philosophies of education. You might find you'll get a more helpful and enlightening discussion if you talk to other parents in your parish. You will not find a meaningful discussion of Catholic schools on these boards.
Anonymous
I'm catholic and i always wonder why people don't share their experiences with catholic schools. We would consider them for our children if we had more information. I would agree a lot of the posts on this board are not reliable (you must be the judge) but I've found many to be quite helpful.
Anonymous
Gonzaga is most certainly a very rigorous academic program and highly competitive application process. The school - though ranked high nationally in its sports progam- empahsizes academics over athletics.

Anonymous
I think part of it is that Gonzaga's not upper northwest...
Anonymous
Gonzaga is simply not elite. That's what drives all of the talk about the other schools.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:I think part of it is that Gonzaga's not upper northwest...

Yes, I think that is also part of it. It's in a low-income neighborhood as well.
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