Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And if you decide to go Big 3 for high school then you still save $279,000 for k-8th elementary school. Seems like a smart financial decision to me!

I can't imagine the Catholic schools would be thrilled to know they were a"filler in" school in the meantime.

Yikes, PP. Why so bitter?

Anonymous wrote:And if you decide to go Big 3 for high school then you still save $279,000 for k-8th elementary school. Seems like a smart financial decision to me!

I can't imagine the Catholic schools would be thrilled to know they were a"filler in" school in the meantime.

And if you decide to go Big 3 for high school then you still save $279,000 for k-8th elementary school. Seems like a smart financial decision to me!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mater Dei and other dc Catholics pulled a bunch of spots at sta this year. Some them are gunning for the close.

Two or three kids out of MD and the other Catholics is a small drop in the bucket.

If the Catholics are not applying as claimed on this thread but those that do ALL pull STA there Might be something going on. If 5 kids apply one year and shoot 100 percent, how long will it be until 40 apply and shoot 60?

Surprising as it may be to you, the Catholics want to go to Gonzaga and Prep and these are their their first choices. They don't apply to STA, not because they won't get in, but because they aren't interested in going there.

Yeah, but they're not getting in. No way. Not after a parish school education.

The May issue of Our Parish Times is out. There are parish kids who got into STA and Sidwell. Who knows, more may have gotten in and decided to go Catholic for less. It is really fun to look through and see where the kids are going. As you can see the vast majority are continuing on to Catholic High Schools.

But no information about where any of the kids from Blessed Sacrament are going.

Most go to Catholic and if they go to a Big 3 from Catholic it is normally for the social aspect - normally for parents because Prep and Gonzaga offer rigorous curriculums.

Anonymous wrote:If your child is an "A" student taking honors courses at a parish school with good test scores and extra-curriculars then there is no reason why they can not move on to a top independent private school such as STA, NCS, or Sidwell. They are clearly just as smart, competitive, and qualified as any other applicant.

It is sad how people discriminate against Catholics and the Catholic school system on this board. In some places, a Catholic school is held in the highest regard. I think there is definitely a subset of people on this board who are insecure about how much money they are spending on their big bucks private education and wondering if it is truly worth the difference ($35-$42K vs. $9K-$12K). There are also people who are jealous that Catholic families (and Catholic friendly families) have the option of a good education at a much lesser price.

You nailed it PP.

K-8:
Nine years at a parish school = $81,000.
Nine years at a big 3 = $360,000

4 years at Gonzaga = $84,000
4 years at Big 3 = $160,000

Lets combine the two scenarios above, making the Gonzaga assumption:

Catholic Route: $81,000 (k-8 parish school) + $84,000 (Gonzaga 4 years) = $169,000 total for grades K-12

Big 3 Route: $360,000 (k-8 Sidwell) + $160,000 (grades 9-12 Sidwell) = $520,000 total for grades K-12

So for those taking the Catholic route, the savings gives you a total of $351,000 to spend on college or whatever else you like ($520K - $169K).

AND even with all the savings, you also get a religious education...something that, for us, is a must have.

This exercise makes it crystal clear, doesn't it?

If your child is an "A" student taking honors courses at a parish school with good test scores and extra-curriculars then there is no reason why they can not move on to a top independent private school such as STA, NCS, or Sidwell. They are clearly just as smart, competitive, and qualified as any other applicant.

It is sad how people discriminate against Catholics and the Catholic school system on this board. In some places, a Catholic school is held in the highest regard. I think there is definitely a subset of people on this board who are insecure about how much money they are spending on their big bucks private education and wondering if it is truly worth the difference ($35-$42K vs. $9K-$12K). There are also people who are jealous that Catholic families (and Catholic friendly families) have the option of a good education at a much lesser price.

7:59 - You are the one who did not get a very good education based on your unintelligent statement. Catholic schools provide excellent educations and children from these schools are perfectly able to attend top independent schools if their grades and test scores meet the desired schools requirements - no different then any other applicant. Plenty of parish kids who wish to attend independent schools can and do - the numbers are just low because most Catholic families like the Catholic school system and prefer to keep their kids there. The kids and families generally want to continue their education at Visi, Prep, Gonzaga, Stone Ridge, SJC, etc and are not interested in Holton, Landon, NCS, STA, etc. If they are then they apply and can get in if they meet the requirements - as I said, just like any other applicant. Coming from a parish school does not preclude them from getting in - that is ridiculous, the schools provide a great education!

That question was answered pages ago.

Catholic high school like all the other parishes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mater Dei and other dc Catholics pulled a bunch of spots at sta this year. Some them are gunning for the close.

Two or three kids out of MD and the other Catholics is a small drop in the bucket.

If the Catholics are not applying as claimed on this thread but those that do ALL pull STA there Might be something going on. If 5 kids apply one year and shoot 100 percent, how long will it be until 40 apply and shoot 60?

Surprising as it may be to you, the Catholics want to go to Gonzaga and Prep and these are their their first choices. They don't apply to STA, not because they won't get in, but because they aren't interested in going there.

Yeah, but they're not getting in. No way. Not after a parish school education.

The May issue of Our Parish Times is out. There are parish kids who got into STA and Sidwell. Who knows, more may have gotten in and decided to go Catholic for less. It is really fun to look through and see where the kids are going. As you can see the vast majority are continuing on to Catholic High Schools.

But no information about where any of the kids from Blessed Sacrament are going.

And one into NCS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mater Dei and other dc Catholics pulled a bunch of spots at sta this year. Some them are gunning for the close.

Two or three kids out of MD and the other Catholics is a small drop in the bucket.

If the Catholics are not applying as claimed on this thread but those that do ALL pull STA there Might be something going on. If 5 kids apply one year and shoot 100 percent, how long will it be until 40 apply and shoot 60?

Surprising as it may be to you, the Catholics want to go to Gonzaga and Prep and these are their their first choices. They don't apply to STA, not because they won't get in, but because they aren't interested in going there.

Yeah, but they're not getting in. No way. Not after a parish school education.

The May issue of Our Parish Times is out. There are parish kids who got into STA and Sidwell. Who knows, more may have gotten in and decided to go Catholic for less. It is really fun to look through and see where the kids are going. As you can see the vast majority are continuing on to Catholic High Schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It is very rare (and I know of no instances) that a child would apply to anything other than a Catholic high school from a parish school. Why do you think these parents are sending their kids to Catholic? Because they want a Catholic education. Why switch gears in high school, especially when the prices of some of the Catholic high schools are half of the pricey "Big 3." I have no doubt my son would have been accepted to big 3 if we applied as his test scores were very high and he is advanced in all subjects. But we have no interest in these schools for obvious reasons. If religion didn't matter to us, we would rather send our child to a public magnet and save $30K+ a year.

What parish school do your DCs attend? At our parish school, several boys each year apply to non-Catholic schools both for 6th and 9th (my son being one of them). Parents may prioritize a great education over a Catholic one, if they think the Catholic school is not as strong. Or they may have ten other reasons for not pursuing Catholic school, and this makes them no less Catholic. Your son may have been accepted to a top-notch independent (non-Catholic), but I can't believe you have no doubt. Plenty of boys with excellent test scores and extracurriculars are denied admission from these schools every year - just read the threads that pop up around March 1. Also, high HSPT scores have no correlation to high SSAT scores.

DC took both tests. He scored very high on both. Yes there are a select few who apply outside the Catholic selections, but like I said, it is very rare. Most would prefer not to throw money away on a non-religious education, when it is readily available in some pubic schools. We live in a very desirable school district, so if we did non-religious, we would be either at our local public or a magnet. $40K just isn't worth it for us.

Why on earth would DC take the SSAT if DC wasn't applying to an independent school? I'm not buying that. It's a hard intense treat that is often given at the school DC would be applying to. DC wasn't intending to apply to said school but you signed him/her up to take it there anyway? What?

Well obviously you know little about what schools accept which tests. Georgetown Prep, a Catholic school last I checked, requires SSAT. That is why he took both. Next time you challenge someone about lying, do a little fact checking first.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mater Dei and other dc Catholics pulled a bunch of spots at sta this year. Some them are gunning for the close.

Two or three kids out of MD and the other Catholics is a small drop in the bucket.

If the Catholics are not applying as claimed on this thread but those that do ALL pull STA there Might be something going on. If 5 kids apply one year and shoot 100 percent, how long will it be until 40 apply and shoot 60?

Surprising as it may be to you, the Catholics want to go to Gonzaga and Prep and these are their their first choices. They don't apply to STA, not because they won't get in, but because they aren't interested in going there.

Yeah, but they're not getting in. No way. Not after a parish school education.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It is very rare (and I know of no instances) that a child would apply to anything other than a Catholic high school from a parish school. Why do you think these parents are sending their kids to Catholic? Because they want a Catholic education. Why switch gears in high school, especially when the prices of some of the Catholic high schools are half of the pricey "Big 3." I have no doubt my son would have been accepted to big 3 if we applied as his test scores were very high and he is advanced in all subjects. But we have no interest in these schools for obvious reasons. If religion didn't matter to us, we would rather send our child to a public magnet and save $30K+ a year.

What parish school do your DCs attend? At our parish school, several boys each year apply to non-Catholic schools both for 6th and 9th (my son being one of them). Parents may prioritize a great education over a Catholic one, if they think the Catholic school is not as strong. Or they may have ten other reasons for not pursuing Catholic school, and this makes them no less Catholic. Your son may have been accepted to a top-notch independent (non-Catholic), but I can't believe you have no doubt. Plenty of boys with excellent test scores and extracurriculars are denied admission from these schools every year - just read the threads that pop up around March 1. Also, high HSPT scores have no correlation to high SSAT scores.

DC took both tests. He scored very high on both. Yes there are a select few who apply outside the Catholic selections, but like I said, it is very rare. Most would prefer not to throw money away on a non-religious education, when it is readily available in some pubic schools. We live in a very desirable school district, so if we did non-religious, we would be either at our local public or a magnet. $40K just isn't worth it for us.

Why on earth would DC take the SSAT if DC wasn't applying to an independent school? I'm not buying that. It's a hard intense treat that is often given at the school DC would be applying to. DC wasn't intending to apply to said school but you signed him/her up to take it there anyway? What?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only school administrators really know where children are applying for high schools because they forward along the transcripts. The application process can be very stressful for kids and parents and not everyone is eager to share this information. As I said, I know of three families who applied unsuccessfully to "top schools" but there might have been more that chose not to share.

Since children have to pay to take additional entrance exams for the independent schools, fill out lengthy applications and submit essays along with the parents having to take time off from work for interviews at the schools --I don't think anyone goes through that process unless they are sincere.

Bottom line, if you are interested in sending your child to one of the city's top high school , as questioned in the original post, someone

I have to call BS on this. You do know that the application process for "top schools" and Catholic schools are very similar? They all require paying for additional exams, most require essay (especially if you want a scholar type slot), shadow days and some require interviews. Everyone is sincere in the process but not everyone thinks the "top schools" is where they want their children to go for high school.

There are two completely different tests for Catholic High Schools versus Independent schools. Prep is considered an independent school and requires the SSAT as does STA, Visi, Sidwell etc. Gonzaga DeMatha St Johns etc require the HSPT. While each school requires application, recommendations, interviews, etc, the idea of studying for, paying for, and taking 2 different standardized tests is quite daunting. If you are Catholic and want your child to go to a Catholic high school it simplifies the process immensely to only apply to schools that require the HSPT.

Visi is a Catholic school and requires the HSPT.
Stone Ridge is independent and requires the SSAT.
The HSPT is a much easier test compared to the SSAT. My DD did not study at all for that and found it easy. It's based on what you learned in school.
The SSAT is tricky and a bit intense and DD benefitted from some study for that test. It's much less common to do well in that test so a high score us more meaningful.