Anonymous wrote:We switched to our local Catholic k-8 in fall of 2020. We returned to fcps this year because my youngest was starting kinder. We really didn’t want to pay 2x the tuition. My kid is asking to go back. I thought he’d stop asking by now… ugh, not sure what to do.

Anonymous wrote: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.

Anonymous wrote: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 Stuck back in time with some of their outdated and not purposeful ways.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.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

Besides the fact it is just an educational front for the next wave of "good Catholics"? Ok:
-Mediocre STEM (you can't claim otherwise when any mention of divinity enters science class)
-nuns and priests w/o an education background and who are, frankly, sub-par educators
-Overly strict, if not downright cruel, treatment by teachers, nuns, and priests
-Given the history of the Catholic church overlooking abuses of all kind, I do not trust them with my child
-history of secrecy in the Church, individually and as an institution, leads me not to trust them
-Do not want religious education for my child.

-Signed, K-12 Catholic School student and practicing Catholic until my 20's.

Anonymous wrote: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.