Does the parish support/subsidize the school? Are there any non-parish kids at the school? Do the non-parish kids pay more in tuition? Are non-parishioner or non-Catholic families being subsidized by the parish? Are there parish family kids or kids from Catholic families who are not in the parish on a wait list?

Anonymous wrote:Why is it so wrong for a Catholic family to experience a Catholic school for part of their children's educational life? Why is it wrong, if you can't afford to pay $40K a year per child for PK-12th to save money and hold off paying the $40K+ until high school? Seems like the smart thing to do and perfectly acceptable to me? If you don't make enough money to afford $40K+ per child every year then why go into debt doing so? Any financial planner would tell you that is the wrong move. Hold off until high school or lower school or middle school, which ever is the most important to you. These schools are not all or nothing, lots of kids enter in later years.

If intent was to go all along and just using catholic school to save money, that could offend people. I heard of a family doing this and they talk openly about it and it's the parents (although they say it's their child) that want the big three - social reasons and they want the status.

Yes, majority go to Catholic High Schools (Visi, SR, Prep, Gonzaga, SJC, ST. Anselm's) because they value a Catholic education and like the schools. A smaller percentage opt for other high schools (Sidwell, NCS, STA, Holton, Landon, public, etc). Not necessarily because they don't like a Catholic education or the schools, but because they like the other options better for various reasons and want to go there. Just like if a public school kid decides to go to a private school for high school or a STA boys moves to Prep or Field or Landon at some point. Not a big deal, you move because it is what you think is best for your child. No one within the Parish schools has a problem that. That's the fabulous thing about living in our country we have free will and can do what we think is best for our individual child or what works best for the family at any given time. Just because you pick one path does not mean you are stuck in it forever. This is the 21st century, after all!

Anonymous wrote:Catholic parish schools end in 8th, so all the kids have to go to different schools for high school. It actually helps the school (become more popular and relevant in private school world) to show their students can go to an array of different schools for high school - Catholic, independent, Episcopal, Quaker, etc. That is only a positive for the parish school.

What makes you think that is what they are looking for? I think you're missing the point. I think they would like others to think that their high schools such as Georgetown Prep, Gonzaga, or Stoneridge are in the same caliber as a big three. By going there to save money and then not choosing to continue there and go to big threes may be seen as a snub to the Catholic schools - particularly when there are many that would have loved that spot at the parish school and who intend to attend a catholic high school. I think many agree.

Anonymous wrote:Catholic parish schools end in 8th, so all the kids have to go to different schools for high school. It actually helps the school (become more popular and relevant in private school world) to show their students can go to an array of different schools for high school - Catholic, independent, Episcopal, Quaker, etc. That is only a positive for the parish school.

As the Spring issue of the Catholic Standard proved by the listings of the high school destinations of graduates, a miniscule number head to Quaker and Episcopal schools. Catholic or public are where 99% are headed.

Why is it so wrong for a Catholic family to experience a Catholic school for part of their children's educational life? Why is it wrong, if you can't afford to pay $40K a year per child for PK-12th to save money and hold off paying the $40K+ until high school? Seems like the smart thing to do and perfectly acceptable to me? If you don't make enough money to afford $40K+ per child every year then why go into debt doing so? Any financial planner would tell you that is the wrong move. Hold off until high school or lower school or middle school, which ever is the most important to you. These schools are not all or nothing, lots of kids enter in later years.

Catholic parish schools end in 8th, so all the kids have to go to different schools for high school. It actually helps the school (become more popular and relevant in private school world) to show their students can go to an array of different schools for high school - Catholic, independent, Episcopal, Quaker, etc. That is only a positive for the parish school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Exactly. I can't imagine the community would be thrilled to know that a family just went there to save money so they could go back to a Big 3. That spot could have gone to someone else that intended on staying in the catholic system all the way through.

The Catholic schools must be on to the game by now. DCUM forum seems to be loaded with non-Catholics looking at Catholic schools and liking the price versus the alternatives. But they are looking for advice on what the "catch" might be.

A place to go for a few years and then leave for Big 3. Can't imagine that goes over very welll if that was always the intent.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Exactly. I can't imagine the community would be thrilled to know that a family just went there to save money so they could go back to a Big 3. That spot could have gone to someone else that intended on staying in the catholic system all the way through.

The Catholic schools must be on to the game by now. DCUM forum seems to be loaded with non-Catholics looking at Catholic schools and liking the price versus the alternatives. But they are looking for advice on what the "catch" might be.

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.

Exactly. I can't imagine the community would be thrilled to know that a family just went there to save money so they could go back to a Big 3. That spot could have gone to someone else that intended on staying in the catholic system all the way through.

Irish Catholic here and BS parishioner. I toured the school for my now 8yo DD for K but as much as I wanted to like it - I ranked it below our local public (though we opted for the $33K choice instead.) It is a very insular/parochial (as in hide from the greater world) community. I of course know many who are very happy there as are their kids and generation after generation go there. I tried but just didn't see it as the made up world I wanted to support. Thrilled with our choice - and my kids does the CCD classes with the other non-BSS kids who really are so much more dynamic - and far more my kind of crowd - than the largely homogenous families

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is is possible to get into BS in the later years if you are not Catholic?

The question this begs is, "Why would you?".

If all you know about the place is that its Catholic, near CC Circle and has an attractive price than you are flying blind into this.

Questions you might ask could be, "Who sends their kids there" and "Where do they go after BS?" Or "How much different is my family than the average family there now?".

We go to BSS and fit in fine. My husband is Catholic by birth, but we don't attend church and we fit in fine. I agree we haven't made close knit friendships, but you can't beat the education for the price. Not sure why so many Country Club people go there since by theory they could afford the $20k schools.

That's why they can afford the country club. Can't do both.

If you only knew. Yes, you're right it is full of the poor people of Chevy Chase.

Not what I meant. I was just saying maybe they can't afford both. There is a big different between
$9,000 and $30,000. Not judging it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is is possible to get into BS in the later years if you are not Catholic?

The question this begs is, "Why would you?".

If all you know about the place is that its Catholic, near CC Circle and has an attractive price than you are flying blind into this.

Questions you might ask could be, "Who sends their kids there" and "Where do they go after BS?" Or "How much different is my family than the average family there now?".

We go to BSS and fit in fine. My husband is Catholic by birth, but we don't attend church and we fit in fine. I agree we haven't made close knit friendships, but you can't beat the education for the price. Not sure why so many Country Club people go there since by theory they could afford the $20k schools.

That's why they can afford the country club. Can't do both.

If you only knew. Yes, you're right it is full of the poor people of Chevy Chase.

Blessed Sacrament. The school everyone loves to hate. DCUM is a bunch of bitter anti-Catholic harpies who just have hate on something.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is is possible to get into BS in the later years if you are not Catholic?

The question this begs is, "Why would you?".

If all you know about the place is that its Catholic, near CC Circle and has an attractive price than you are flying blind into this.

Questions you might ask could be, "Who sends their kids there" and "Where do they go after BS?" Or "How much different is my family than the average family there now?".

We go to BSS and fit in fine. My husband is Catholic by birth, but we don't attend church and we fit in fine. I agree we haven't made close knit friendships, but you can't beat the education for the price. Not sure why so many Country Club people go there since by theory they could afford the $20k schools.

That's why they can afford the country club. Can't do both.