Reply to catholic vs. Public School curriculum or rigor

Forum Index » Schools and Education General Discussion

Reply to "catholic vs. Public School curriculum or rigor"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]depends which system, in DCPS and PG catholic school is better, anything in MCPS and FCPS would depend on how weak the schools are. [b]In Arlington it would make sense if you are in the south[/b], probably in the north at the lower performing schools.[/quote]

I live in South Arlington and I am having a tough time deciding whether or not to send my DD to our local public elementary school (which is one of the best in south Arlington but just OK countywide) or Catholic.  We are also practically guaranteed admission to one of the immersion schools because our local school belongs to the designated priority neighborhood cluster (this policy may change for next year). I am not thrilled with the size of the immersion school (700+ kids) but have heard great things about the program.  The overcrowding/school capacity issue and potential for more boundary issues down the road in APS are not appealing.  So, I am not sold on my public school options.  From what I have read in other discussions, I realize some people would say I am a fool not to go public in Arlington.  That said, I am Catholic, attended Catholic schools myself (not in this area) and had a good experience so I am seriously considering that option for my DD. My husband is not Catholic so all he wants is for our DD to be educated with the best academic curriculum and rigor and be exposed to positive social influences.  I have done extensive research on the nearby diocesan schools in Alexandria, Arlington and Washington, DC and have come up with a shortlist of options.  Most of these schools in my shortlist are high-performing/have the Blue Ribbon designation, have strong and stable leadership by the Principal, the majority of teachers have a Masters Degree,  and there is minimal staff turnover.  Two schools are small with one class per grade while the others have two classes per grade.  One of these schools does not have a gym and does not have a hot lunch program but location-wise is very convenient compared to the others.   I'm trying to focus on academics first and foremost but I'm finding it hard to compare the curriculum in Arlington Diocese vs. Archdiocese of Washington schools.  I wonder if one is considered stronger than the other by area high schools and colleges in terms of how well-prepared academically students are?  Or are the top schools in each basically doing the same job of preparing students.  If anyone has advice or experiences to share that can help me prioritize I would be so grateful!  Oh, although there has been no mention of schools by name, in this thread, my shortlist of schools is St. Agnes in Arlington and OLV, St. Peter School, and Holy Trinity in DC.   [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics