We decided no on Catholic schools because when I taught in one, my principal asked me to cover up child abuse (not that long ago) and openly cheated on state exams. We had the same extreme behavior issues public schools have, but because of overall declining enrollment, the school couldn't afford to expel them and there was NO help at all for those kids. And when I look at the criminal cover up of sexual abuse in Catholic institutions, I don't believe for one second there has been true change. A lot of surface change, but deep down? Nah.

DS is in a language immersion program at FCPS. His class size started at 31 kids in first grade but he is down to 23 kids in his class. The Gen Ed classes at our school are around 18 kids right now. LI will continue to drop, kids move and cannot be added without being fluent in the target language. The Gen Ed classes will be around 22 students, which is a good size. He does strings as well as a music class. Art is an hour once a week, PE is 3 times a week. We are happy with the school, the balance, and the distance.

I keep an eye on what is happening with private schools so that if we are unhappy with the school DS is attending we have an idea about where to look and I am not opposed to Catholic Schools. I was raised Catholic and know that not all Catholic schools are conservative Catholic. I am not sold on private schools ability to provide the level of math that my kid needs or more advanced Science classes. Most private schools are smaller so there are fewer kids to take different classes, which limits the class offerings in MS and HS. I know that they are good for the standard classes but DS is in Advanced Math and is going to need more then the standard classes. I suspect that it will be the same for Science and other classes.

We send one kid to a Catholic k-8 and the other attends FCPS. Our FCPS kid is in AAP. Our Catholic school kid is a great student, but did not qualify for level IV. The parocial school is a great fit for that type of student- strong student with hood work habits. If she would have got into AAP, we would have kept her in public.

Haycock is a good choice. I’ve worked there recently and I would have no hesitation about sending a child there.

I would never send my child to Catholic schools, because they discriminate against gay teachers, which I understand as part of their religious beliefs, but it’s not okay with me. They also pay their teachers poorly, and their health coverage is horrible. I have a family member who works at one. An unmarried teacher who chooses to have a baby is out on her ear.

We are leaving Catholic to go back to public next year. We left public due to Covid and it’s been great for the last two years but I don’t really see us going all the way through 8th and then to Catholic high school which is undoubtedly where most of the kids from the parochial will end up. I don’t want my child to have to start over meeting new people so I figure it’s better to move back to our neighborhood school now before friendships fully solidify. FCPS certainly has its issues but most of our neighbors seem happy with our local public elementary and very few kids in our area go to private… and some definitely have the money for it. I figure we can always reevaluate down the road. The Catholic school is our parish school and I knew before enrolling that it is on the conservative side. It is even more conservative than I thought and doesn’t quite line up with my personal preferences as a Catholic who grew up in a parish that was more laid-back. I don’t think you can make a blanket generalization about all Catholic schools just like you can’t make one about all FCPS schools. It’s all going to depend on the school administration, the teachers, class sizes, culture, etc. My child has done well at Catholic and I’m worried about language arts in FCPS. But I know they’re about a month behind our FCPS school in math and I don’t think science is anything special either. I personally feel I can supplement language arts at home if needed — it’s always been a strength of mine — but math and science would be harder and I’ve heard kids who go from Catholic parochial to public HS aren’t always prepared on those.

Honestly I won’t know if this is the right decision until we go back to public and see how it goes. I try to remember this board is skewed by major complainers. There are pros and cons just like everything else in life.

Anonymous wrote:My child attends a Catholic in DC that is not a parochial. Stuck back in time with some of their outdated and not purposeful ways. Interaction with students are harsh and don’t respect boundaries. Elderly monks shun and not open to making any updates, changes, and improvements and are disconnected and not understanding of family and children or their needs. Disappointment to what could be a great school.

Why didn’t you change schools when you realized it was a bad fit?

My child attends a Catholic in DC that is not a parochial. Stuck back in time with some of their outdated and not purposeful ways. Interaction with students are harsh and don’t respect boundaries. Elderly monks shun and not open to making any updates, changes, and improvements and are disconnected and not understanding of family and children or their needs. Disappointment to what could be a great school.

Anonymous wrote:Are you Catholic, OP, I’m not (though I am Christian) and I’d never send my children to Catholic school because I don’t agree with the way the Church handled the child sex abuse cases.

Yes, we’re Catholic.

I am not catholic but live near an excellent catholic school that has a smattering of nonreligious kids. The school does incredible service work and is on the progressive side politically and pedagogically. It was a great fit in many ways, with smaller class sizes than our zoned public and less than half the price of privates. Basically very hard to resist…but at the end of the day DH and I just had pits in our stomachs.

We realized we cannot look past what the institution did and never fully fixed. Of all the evils in the world, child sexual abuse is the most evil. Probably half a million children’s lives were ruined, some in the very building our child would be in every day. Parents I respect are able to look beyond this, but we can’t.

Anonymous wrote:We did not apply to any Catholic schools, but our ES lost a significant number of students to local parochial schools.

Same with our Vienna area elementary school

Are you Catholic, OP, I’m not (though I am Christian) and I’d never send my children to Catholic school because I don’t agree with the way the Church handled the child sex abuse cases.

We did not apply to any Catholic schools, but our ES lost a significant number of students to local parochial schools.

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I'm a single mom (and non-Catholic) with an IVF baby and when we applied last year, I was told that "there was no space" for my 2nd grader. Later in the summer, a new admissions officer at the school contacted me because there was a spot open on the waiting list...but weirdly all of my paperwork couldn't be found. I would have had to resubmit everything and pay another $150 admission fee.

Maybe there was a paperwork mess up. But the episode suggested to me that the admissions office thought we wouldn't fit at the school and they tossed our application. The new admissions person didn't know I was a single mom since there was no paperwork there anymore.

Parent of a second grader who transferred from public to Catholic this year and even as active members of the parish we were initially waitlisted last Spring before a slot came available in May. Many of the local schools were overwhelmed with applications- I would not assume your not getting a spot had anything to do with your family status (other than the fact that Catholic students do get priority for admissions).

Yes, I'm a single mom (and non-Catholic) with an IVF baby and when we applied last year, I was told that "there was no space" for my 2nd grader. Later in the summer, a new admissions officer at the school contacted me because there was a spot open on the waiting list...but weirdly all of my paperwork couldn't be found. I would have had to resubmit everything and pay another $150 admission fee.

Maybe there was a paperwork mess up. But the episode suggested to me that the admissions office thought we wouldn't fit at the school and they tossed our application. The new admissions person didn't know I was a single mom since there was no paperwork there anymore.

If you considered but decided against a parochial Catholic elementary school, can you share why? We’re debating between Haycock and either St. James or St. Luke’s.