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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Why do you think other private schools are better than Catholic schools?  Don't listen to the anti-Catholic trolls on here - just the word Catholic send them for the salts.[/quote]

OP here: Admittedly I have no basis for this, except that I see neighbors driving to Catholic schools that are in DC (HTS) when there are Catholic schools in Arlington much closer to us. I suppose not all Catholic schools are created equal - as with independent schools. What are considered the “best” Catholic options in this area? [/quote]

OP.  I’m Catholic and attended a parochial school and an independent school.  My kids did the same.  I think you’ll find that the strong independent schools far exceed every aspect of your typical parochial school.  That being said, I think the typical parochial school is better in many ways to most publics.[/quote]

Thank you for this. It’s hard to figure out how schools rank. One neighbor makes the daily drive to
holy trinity in Georgetown even though St Agnes and St Anne are so much closer. I have to assume there is a big difference to be willing to make that drive. My colleague lives very close to bishop o Connell but her son at Gonzaga, so those schools are probably not comparable? And not sure where St Thomas Moore fits in there 
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Well, my DS applied to both DJO and GCHS last year.  Accepted to both. I wouldn’t say its so much that there is a big difference in terms of quality. GCHS is more *selective* in its applications because it draws area wide. Something like 40% of its boys live in VA and many in MD.  DJO is more of a neighborhood Falls Church, Arlington, McLean school. Much like Bishop Ireton in Alexandria and Paul VI in Chantilly.  We really did like DJO though.  Much more than I thought I would.  Their buildout is looking great.  GCHS is really known for its strong brotherhood and the Jesuit tradition appeals to many.  DJO does not have those attributes.  Plus GCHS is near Capitol Hill and has a soup kitchen adjacent to school so there are volunteer opportunities aplenty.  But you can get a solid or even terrific education at either place.  And they are Catholic so they cater to a wider set of students than, say, the Big 3.

St. Thomas More is a parish school, whereas DJO and Gonzaga are HS only.

St. Stephens and St. Agnes is different since it’s (a) Episcopalian, not Catholic, (b) PreK-12, and (c) about 2x as expensive as the others.  There is some inertia in terms of applying out, so if you wanted to do a Catholic HS, you’d need to go to the effort of applying out of SSSAS after 8th grade.  Holy Trinity in G’Town is a Catholic k8 that tends to feed a lot into St. John’s and Gonzaga, which many think of as among the most desirable Catholic HS, along with G’town Prep in MD.
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