Anonymous wrote:The middle school at st Mary’s is a mess. Many are leaving unsure if St. Louis is better but some are leaving for other Catholic schools and some for public.

I would ask 9th grade parents if there kids were prepared for HS and how HS placement tests went when looking at deciding between the 2.

What specifically is messy about the middle school? I am interested in it.

Parent of an elementary BSSM kid here and I am considering trying to move my child to St. Louis. I am giving it another year to get things in order, but its too much of a mess right now.

The middle school at st Mary’s is a mess. Many are leaving unsure if St. Louis is better but some are leaving for other Catholic schools and some for public.

I would ask 9th grade parents if there kids were prepared for HS and how HS placement tests went when looking at deciding between the 2.

Yeah, what’s the deal with St Mary’s middle school teachers? Hearing that they’re having big problems. Lots of families leaving. What’s going on?

St. Louis-More racially and economically diverse crowd. Mostly UMC to middle class families. Pulls from Rt 1 corridor, Kingstowne/Telegraph Rd, Fort Hunt and Mt. Vernon areas.

BSM-Pulls from Old Town, other Alex City neighborhoods and some neighborhoods off GW Parkway. Much wealthier, primarily Caucasian student body.

Reading more about it, the extra $5600 is for children who need a modified curriculum. Language-based learning disability kids often need a modified curriculum, not just kids with intellectual disabilities. Again, I’d ask a lot of questions, especially if you have multiple children.

There’s like a $6k additional charge at St. Mary’s for support services. That’s more than the local diocesan high school charges. A lot of the diocesan schools have resource rooms and there’s not an extra charge. You will always pay for your own speech/OT etc. but the St. Mary’s program says it’s for short term help. Kids with even mild learning disabilities often need long term support. It’s just something to be aware of. That really sticks out as a difference to me. I would ask a lot of questions.

We are at St. Louis and love it. We toured St. Mary's and were accepted but honestly it felt a little snobby to us. YMMV but we are very happy where we are. As PP said, same curriculum. Teachers do make a difference, I can only speak to the middle school at St. Louis but we have been overall happy with the teachers. Anecdotally I've heard from current St. Mary's families that things are not great. I think overall you would be fine at either. They are both difficult admits though, depending on the grade. I'd apply to both and make sure you are parishioners at your first choice.

Same curriculum. Both have good standardized test scores and produce children more than ready for high school.

I think most people would say St. Mary’s is a bit more conservative Catholic than St. Louis.

St. Mary’s has more classes per grade than St. Louis as well.

How do they compare fur culture and academics?