I know some who have opted for it, though they were more non-practicing than actual atheists. I considered it to avoid public schools but then realized that I would be very bothered by it. I have a lot of issues with the Catholic Church and don't want to be giving them money - particularly during the "pro-life drives". If I'm sending my kid there, I can't really start kicking up a storm. I also heard another comment that it would be degrading for the teachers and create a strenuous relationship if you were constantly undermining their teachings. DD comes home to say "teacher told us X". Your response is "teacher is not right, that's not what we believe". That exchange perpetually undercuts the student-teacher relationship. So why bother?

Anonymous wrote:Depends on the Catholic school, and no, they are not all an extension of a parish. Many others answer to a religious order or are fully independent but receive support for sacraments from the archdiocese. You need to go to admissions events and talk to the parent hosts there to be able to read between the lines of what the school marketing materials say. Any schools with a relationship to the Archdiocese will have some rules about what they do/say, but there are progressive Catholic schools whose students and faculty are more aligned with Catholic social justice and other movements who do welcome and enroll families of all faiths. Our school is Catholic and independent so it does have ties to the archdiocese but not in the same way as a parish school- we have children who are Jewish, Muslim, evangelical, and definitely atheist, and faculty who are married LGBTQ+. People often choose our school over secular ones for its emphasis on ethics, service, and social justice education.

This is like our 7th grade daughter's Catholic middle school in Los Angeles. We sent her there after elementary(secular) as it has a good reputation and welcomes all religions. My daughter also has anxiety so we wanted a smaller middle school experience for her rather than our large public school. We couldn't afford 50k for secular private. It is a lovely school and our daughter likes a lot about the school but she has asked not to stay on for High School because of the religious aspects. She has been bought up in an Atheist family and feels too out of place and overwhelmed by the religion classes and religious services. I think she would have fared better if she had started in elementary school but up until the age of 11 she has only had our atheist/agnostic influence so it is all too alien for her to take this on board. There are many families at the school who I would call Christian 'lite' - they mainly believe in God but only go to church for weddings and funerals, but very few full on atheist/agnostic families like us.

Anonymous wrote:As a Christian I would be pretty annoyed if my kids’ Christian school that I specifically selected for being a Christian school was letting in atheist families.

Well, that would be just too damn bad.

Anonymous wrote:As a Christian I would be pretty annoyed if my kids’ Christian school that I specifically selected for being a Christian school was letting in atheist families.

“Christian” schools tend to be more exclusive and demanding your beliefs align with their religious belief and moral beliefs. Catholic schools seem to be more open to different religions, LGBQT, and beliefs.

Anonymous wrote:As a Christian I would be pretty annoyed if my kids’ Christian school that I specifically selected for being a Christian school was letting in atheist families.

You can't make this stuff up. This is directly contra to Jesus's teaching on many fronts-- Evangelism; love of neighbor; pretty much all of the beatitudes. If what you want is a place for people like you, you are using religion as a social club, not as a moral code or belief system. Honestly, maybe listen next Sunday.

Here's what I'd say; there are two kinds of non-believers. There are those that are tolerant, and those that are rabid. Rabid or "evangelical" atheists--those that seek to convert others to their nihilistic belief (sorry, couldn't help it)--will be miserable at a Catholic school... but I doubt that's what we're talking about here. Parents who are "softly irreligious" will find a home, but only if they are open to their children accepting Christ. By this I mean don't be upset if one day your child starts asking questions, wants to go to Mass outside of school, and ultimately chooses to go down the RCIA route (depending on age.)

As a Christian I would be pretty annoyed if my kids’ Christian school that I specifically selected for being a Christian school was letting in atheist families.

I looked at about 6 of them and only one was athiest/Jewish friendly. Many were not welcoming at all. You can tell when you ask them how many non-catholic families and how many non-christian families and see their reaction.

As a fellow atheist, I vote 'no' as well. You're going to be more bothered by the religion than you think, and you won't be able to talk freely about it within the community.

If you're in DC, do the lottery instead.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Catholic school is an extension of the parish, not a refuge from crappy public schools.

Sure it's a refuge from crappy publics, but it's also a refuge that favors Catholics before others.

Oh please. They aren’t free. They happily take tuition money from anyone willing to pay

Had a great experience at Catholic school for our non-Catholic family. Yes, there were things I did not agree with. Overall, the love/support they showed to our struggling DC changed his life, so in comparison, it was small.

Depends on the Catholic school, and no, they are not all an extension of a parish. Many others answer to a religious order or are fully independent but receive support for sacraments from the archdiocese. You need to go to admissions events and talk to the parent hosts there to be able to read between the lines of what the school marketing materials say. Any schools with a relationship to the Archdiocese will have some rules about what they do/say, but there are progressive Catholic schools whose students and faculty are more aligned with Catholic social justice and other movements who do welcome and enroll families of all faiths. Our school is Catholic and independent so it does have ties to the archdiocese but not in the same way as a parish school- we have children who are Jewish, Muslim, evangelical, and definitely atheist, and faculty who are married LGBTQ+. People often choose our school over secular ones for its emphasis on ethics, service, and social justice education.

Anonymous wrote:Catholic school is an extension of the parish, not a refuge from crappy public schools.

Sure it's a refuge from crappy publics, but it's also a refuge that favors Catholics before others.

Catholic school is an extension of the parish, not a refuge from crappy public schools.

Please don't do it. You will be frustrated. Save the spot for a family that wants a Catholic education.

Our public schools are pretty terrible where we are currently. There isn’t a good option for secular private school past elementary. There is a good catholic private school, though we are not religious. Has anyone went or sent their children to catholic school if they are a different religion or no religion? If so, how was the experience?