Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

MamaCCG wrote:Catholic elementary school is great if you’re cool with huge classes, think all kids are auditory learners and like doing hours of homework every night.

The 3 nearby Catholic elementary schools we visited had class sizes between 20-25. There was some homework, but the amount seemed reasonable to us. We are not Catholic, instead protestant, and live in an FCPS area.

I think it depends on what your public is like. We've been in ours in different years and class size was 21 one year and 17 for the other kid. Local Catholic schools told me they shoot for 21-22 in each class. We have seen pretty much zero homework in public school and friends with kids in older grades have said they still don't have homework.

My kids went to public for elementary and middle school, and attended Sunday school at the local catholic K-8. I remember laughing when the teacher apologized that there were 18 kids in one section, as they had to bring in extra desks from a different classroom. It was the smallest class my kid had ever had, and at the Catholic school they never had a class that big.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

MamaCCG wrote:Catholic elementary school is great if you’re cool with huge classes, think all kids are auditory learners and like doing hours of homework every night.

The 3 nearby Catholic elementary schools we visited had class sizes between 20-25. There was some homework, but the amount seemed reasonable to us. We are not Catholic, instead protestant, and live in an FCPS area.

I think it depends on what your public is like. We've been in ours in different years and class size was 21 one year and 17 for the other kid. Local Catholic schools told me they shoot for 21-22 in each class. We have seen pretty much zero homework in public school and friends with kids in older grades have said they still don't have homework.

We’re in Catholic but be clear that homework in elementary is not an indicator of rigor. Education Literature is clear that the only homework that adds value in elementary is reading everyday (20-30 mins). Homework especially in lower grades can backfire causing resistance and burnout. They spend all day in school learning and their brains need breaks with play, being outside and connection.

Anonymous wrote:

MamaCCG wrote:Catholic elementary school is great if you’re cool with huge classes, think all kids are auditory learners and like doing hours of homework every night.

The 3 nearby Catholic elementary schools we visited had class sizes between 20-25. There was some homework, but the amount seemed reasonable to us. We are not Catholic, instead protestant, and live in an FCPS area.

I think it depends on what your public is like. We've been in ours in different years and class size was 21 one year and 17 for the other kid. Local Catholic schools told me they shoot for 21-22 in each class. We have seen pretty much zero homework in public school and friends with kids in older grades have said they still don't have homework.

Same with us. We aren’t Catholic but love our kids Catholic elementary. The teaching philosophy Reminds me of my public school experience from the 80s. Worked for me…it will work for my kids too.

MamaCCG wrote:Catholic elementary school is great if you’re cool with huge classes, think all kids are auditory learners and like doing hours of homework every night.

This isn’t true from our experience, either.

I find that the K-8 experience in our Catholic school is similar to what I remember growing up in the late 80s: an emphasis on the foundational skills (grammar, multiplication tables, penmanship, etc.) as well as clear expectations for behavior. I also appreciate our school doesn’t overly rely on technology.

We’re also non-Catholic and have found the community to be very welcoming.

MamaCCG wrote:Catholic elementary school is great if you’re cool with huge classes, think all kids are auditory learners and like doing hours of homework every night.

The 3 nearby Catholic elementary schools we visited had class sizes between 20-25. There was some homework, but the amount seemed reasonable to us. We are not Catholic, instead protestant, and live in an FCPS area.

MamaCCG wrote:Catholic elementary school is great if you’re cool with huge classes, think all kids are auditory learners and like doing hours of homework every night.

This isn’t true at my kids k-8 parochial school. A lot of classes have less than 20 kids in them.