Choosing parochial for the money?

[Anonymous]

Is it a mistake to resort to a parochial school because you can't afford private? In-boundary DCPS not an option.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, you are a candidate for the suburbs. I say that without snark. Parish schools in DC will impart certain lovely Christian values (which I share, so again, no snark). But strong academics that are superior to DCPS curriculum? Not so much.

So you'd be making a move to avoid, I'm guessing, the rough, suspension-prone kids and iffy academics that follow from that. You'd be trading THAT in for more calm and obedient kids and meh academics. Why? Commute? Christian teachings? Fair enough.

[Anonymous]

Are you willing to be an active part of the Catholic faith? Would you child feel left out if he was the only one not making his first Communion, etc?

[Anonymous]

As a non-Catholic I can say with confidence that yes, some of the local parochiaol schools are solid academically although only one or two are even close to as good as the top privates. Look at Holy Trinity, Blessed Sacrament and maybe Little Flower or OLV. I know families/kids at each of these and they are getting solid academic instruction.

[Anonymous]

If you're Catholic, they are great options. Too, if you are a minority, your child will get better attention than they would in the publics. If you're white and not Catholic, you'd be better off in public.

[Anonymous]

Having tried Catholic as a protestant, I would discourage it. The "better attention" my child got (not) was punitive and shaming. The mom culture was very clique-ish and gossipy. The teachers often have very poor credentials and no real understanding of how to teach. The test scores, facilities and teaching standards (and salaries) are much better in some publics, like VA. Depending on the quality of your state schools, I would go private or public, but never again Catholic.

[Anonymous]

To OP. Some of the Catholic schools charge a protestant rate, so you wind up paying more anyhow - not as much as private - but still more than regular parishioners.

[Anonymous]

I would never do that, because I disagree with the religion part and don't want my children being taught that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Having tried Catholic as a protestant, I would discourage it. The "better attention" my child got (not) was punitive and shaming. The mom culture was very clique-ish and gossipy. The teachers often have very poor credentials and no real understanding of how to teach. The test scores, facilities and teaching standards (and salaries) are much better in some publics, like VA. Depending on the quality of your state schools, I would go private or public, but never again Catholic.

Agree 100%. Our story was as follows: Left a good in-boundary public school to attend Catholic. K and 1st grade were the best years, but began to see the shortcomings in the curriculum and teacher experience and skills starting in 2nd grade. By 3rd grade, we knew we needed to leave or our child would be disadvantaged academically. Returned to the in-boundary public school and realized DC was behind academically. Spend the whole year catching up and building a foundation that was not there coming from the Catholic school. From public school, went on to private school for middle school. We are thankful we went back to the public school because we are certain DC would not have gotten into his current school from the Catholic school. I will add another observation. The teachers and staff were overly punitive especially with boys. Your child will be quick to be labeled a problem student if they do not fall in line. And, if they have ADHD or any learning issues, the staff were not trained to deal with them or provide accomodations. To my knowledge, Catholic teachers are not required to be certified like public school teachers. So, no I would not choose parochial to save money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having tried Catholic as a protestant, I would discourage it. The "better attention" my child got (not) was punitive and shaming. The mom culture was very clique-ish and gossipy. The teachers often have very poor credentials and no real understanding of how to teach. The test scores, facilities and teaching standards (and salaries) are much better in some publics, like VA. Depending on the quality of your state schools, I would go private or public, but never again Catholic.

Agree 100%. Our story was as follows: Left a good in-boundary public school to attend Catholic. K and 1st grade were the best years, but began to see the shortcomings in the curriculum and teacher experience and skills starting in 2nd grade. By 3rd grade, we knew we needed to leave or our child would be disadvantaged academically. Returned to the in-boundary public school and realized DC was behind academically. Spend the whole year catching up and building a foundation that was not there coming from the Catholic school. From public school, went on to private school for middle school. We are thankful we went back to the public school because we are certain DC would not have gotten into his current school from the Catholic school. I will add another observation. The teachers and staff were overly punitive especially with boys. Your child will be quick to be labeled a problem student if they do not fall in line. And, if they have ADHD or any learning issues, the staff were not trained to deal with them or provide accomodations. To my knowledge, Catholic teachers are not required to be certified like public school teachers. So, no I would not choose parochial to save money.

There are a handful of strong Catholic schools that are providing a strong academic foundation and preparing kids well for high school and college. The range between good and bad schools is wide and each particular student is different. I've learned doing my own research that a few of the Catholic schools including one mentioned by a PP above, have most teachers that are certified or must have certification within 3 years of being hired, and those same teachers have advanced degrees in their area of specialty.

[Anonymous]

There is a wide range. Some schools are very strong while others are not. Most of the strong ones have few openings for non-parishioners.

[Anonymous]

OP it depends on if you want your children in a military style environment (at least for one of the schools listed. I know from first hand experience).

having gone to catholic school my whole life, I can tell you that if your children are independent thinkers and do not fit into a perfect square box, look elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a non-Catholic I can say with confidence that yes, some of the local parochiaol schools are solid academically although only one or two are even close to as good as the top privates. Look at Holy Trinity, Blessed Sacrament and maybe Little Flower or OLV. I know families/kids at each of these and they are getting solid academic instruction.

+1 here. Just moved to DC and did a bunch of research on the nearby Catholic schools. We ended up in NoVa so our kids are not at these schools, but they were part of my research.

[Anonymous]

I never knew before reading these forums that Catholic schools were held in such low regard. I've always heard quite the opposite, that Catholic schools have very high standards and demand a lot of their students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I never knew before reading these forums that Catholic schools were held in such low regard. I've always heard quite the opposite, that Catholic schools have very high standards and demand a lot of their students.

People on DCUM hate Catholics. So you have to consider the source.