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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The original post sought a ranking of the best Catholic schools strictly by academics. That's the inherent problem with this thread. Catholic schools are not academic hothouses and even at the most selective, whether Visi or Stone Ridge or Prep or Gonzaga, you're going to find kids who aren't prepared to take AP courses their freshman year. Likewise, you will find top-notch students at a Bishop O'Connell or DeMatha. A lot of us Catholic school parents (I am a Visi mother) are looking for an ethos, not a curriculum. My measure of success is that my daughters love going to school.[/quote]

I beg to differ.   Catholic schools come in all shapes and colors (as they should).  They have different missions, selection criteria, cultures, etc.  The University of Notre Dame, for example, is extremely selective and is regularly ranked in the top 20.  Outside of leeway given for athletes (albeit not nearly as much as other schools give), it does not have an open door for legacy students, questionable academic applicants, etc.  Granted, the comparison is not entirely apt since it is comparing a university with high schools, but the point is that Catholic schools have every right to be selective and academically top tier.

At the high school level, the legacy factor and the Church's mission can dilute the academic performance of the school in the aggregate.  You almost have to segregate that population of the school, and then look at the results of the rest of the student body.  I attended a very well-regarded Jesuit school in another area.  Every year, kids from a free Jesuit run grade school are admitted.  Even though they showed academic promise, they come from lower income areas and are not as ready for the rigors of the high school as the rest of the students.

Catholic education is complex, and mirrors the universal Church: from the riches of the Vatican to the soup kitchen in the poorest area imaginable.  [/quote]

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