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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Can someone with a recent graduate of an all boys catholic high school comment on the good and bad of these schools? We are looking at Gonzaga and DeMatha (we like price point of DeMatha) and access to learning center but what kinds of boys do well here or which types might struggle?

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Our son is a current student going into his sophomore year at DeMatha, and like many families at our parish school, we found ourselves staring down that familiar fork in the road: DeMatha or Gonzaga.

We toured both. We asked around. We understand  why people love both. And we ultimately chose DeMatha, not because it was perfect, but because it was the right fit for our son.

Why DeMatha?

To start, the price point mattered. DeMatha offered a more manageable tuition without sacrificing the primary benefits we were looking for in an all boys Catholic high school experience: structure, discipline, camaraderie.

But cost wasn’t the only factor. We also wanted a school that would meet our son where he was – a smart, curious, but sometimes disorganized kid.

DeMatha impressed us with its Academic  Support Center, which doesn’t just exist on paper.

Coming from a parish school, we were used to a more curated Catholic bubble. DeMatha is different in a good way. It’s proudly Catholic, yes, but it’s also diverse in race, background, and personality. Our son has classmates who come from every corner of the DMV. It’s not a monolith.

It’s a high performance environmentbin arts, athletics and academis, but there’s less pretense than we expected. Kids aren’t competing to be the most polished or prestigious. There’s a groundedness to it. Yes, there are athletes who will end up on ESPN, but there are also band kids, artsy kids, science kids, and kids like ours who are somewhere in between.

Brotherhood. You’ll hear this word a lot at all-boys schools. At DeMatha, we’ve seen it show up in little ways. When our son was struggling, an older student offered to tutor him. When he joined a new club, he was welcomed without needing to prove himself. There’s accountability, but also encouragement. We’ve seen him become more confident, more vocal, and more comfortable in his own skin.

Why not Gonzaga?

We have nothing bad to say about Gonzaga. It’s a beautiful school with an incredible tradition and a strong identity. The commute would have been about the same. The tuition, while higher, would have been manageable. The atmosphere felt a little more polished, but also a little more pressure-filled.

At DeMatha, he’s allowed to grow at his own pace. He’s challenged, but he’s also seen and supported. That makes a difference.

DeMatha isn’t for everyone. But it’s absolutely been right for our son. It offers a mix of tradition and support, academic seriousness and real-world diversity, faith and flexibility.

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