Anonymous wrote:My nephew and niece go to Trinity and are very happy there.

Does anyone know the class size at Holy Trinity?

Anonymous wrote:I would love my son to attend CS, as I did and my parents and so on...But the HUGE class sizes are a HUGE issue for me/my son.

It depends on the school. Holy Redeemer in College Park is huge. There are 32 kids in one class! But there are other schools where there are only 22 kids in one class.

Anonymous wrote:I realize that these schools are considered to be undesirable by many on this list either b/c of the religious aspect or b/c of the perception of low quality academics. However, there is really very little information about the character and personality of these schools out there. They must be different from each other in distinct ways. Surely, each has its own relative strengths and weaknesses (acknowledging that none have facilities to compete with say, Norwood or Sidwell). But can we discuss how they differ from each other and what each has to offer?

So far, I've heard that deChantal has the strongest athletic program, but large classes (30+) Blessed Sacrament is supposed to be impossible to get into unless you are in the parish AND active in the parish (is it really THAT good?). I've heard St. Elizabeth's is strict and observant. St. Bart's is small and cozy, more flexible in grouping but instruction is boring: drills, worksheets, etc.

Here are some others I'd like to know more about: Mercy, Little Flower, Our Lady of Lourdes, St. Ann's, St. Raphael's, Holy Cross, Holy Redeemer, Our Lady of Victory or any others, really. Are there any good ones across the river in VA? I'm open to hearing about it.

Can we dish on the Catholic school scene? Or does this list lack the critical mass (no pun intended) necessary?

St. Ann's has really changed in the past few years. There are finally really good teachers and more money is being put into the school for school improvement. There is a beautiful new computer lab, a lovely playground, and of course the art program is wonderful as usual.

My nephew and niece go to Trinity and are very happy there.

I know several people who send their children to Holy Trinity and to Our Lady of Mercy and are very happy with the academics. I noticed that Holy Trinity isn't mentioned much in this forum.

You either work at or send your child to a Catholic school because you believe that you are going to be in a good environment that is an example of the Church. What I found is that I had very high expectations going to Lourdes. I believed that it was going to be the perfect Catholic school in academics and in spirit. I had been under the impression that students of all academic ranges were treated with respect and that it was the culture of the school to believe that every child could be successful. What I found is that though many people say that they are Catholic, they publicly spoke negatively about the Church, Church leaders, and beliefs. Few students actually go to church on Sunday and few members of the school community are active in their parish. When it came to academics we found that the talk was just talk and not being practiced. Students who made significant academic improvements were not congratulated for their progress but berated and were not believed to have made the progress on their own. It was a very disappointing experience. Our experience at Lourdes taught us that you don't have to send your child to Catholic school to have a Catholic education. There was clearly nothing Catholic at this school Students went to Mass, but the culture of the school was not Catholic. The Catholic education is given at home and in the choices your make and model for your child. I hope that other schools are more successful in modeling true Cathlicity in how people are treated.

I would love my son to attend CS, as I did and my parents and so on...But the HUGE class sizes are a HUGE issue for me/my son.

Anonymous wrote:I used to work at Our Lady of Lourdes and think that the education that they offer is excellent. Every single one of the classroom teachers is an effective teacher. I have heard good things about the summer camp. I'm not a big fan of the PE teacher, too, but can say that he is very involved in the school and brings a lot of positive things to the table. A lot of teachers don't get the credit that they deserve for all of the work that they put into the school, it is basically all reserved for him. However, if you are looking for a great Catholic school with strong leadership and can stomach Catholic school politics, I suggest sending your child to Lourdes.

I know what you mean about Catholic school politics but from a parent's point of view. It is really frustrating to know that you are only treated really well if you donate a lot of money to the parish or the school. Unfortunately that is just the way that it is.

I agree, St. Jane DeChantal is one of the top schools for academics. Blessed Sacrament, St. Jane DeChantal, and Our Lady of Mercy are probably the best.

I think St. Jane DeChantal is probably top or one of the top Catholic elementaries for academics. I guess BS is fine, my kids don't go there. I do know a lot of their grads and they're okay, I don't think they stand out against kids from other Catholic elementaries. They are generally from much wealthier families but a lot of those people have really old money.

I'm concerned about the academics at Catholic schools. I had forgotten about the sex ed in public schools, thanks for the reminder. So...independent school may be the way to go.

What are the advantages of sending your child to a Catholic elementary school? Im thinking that maybe we should send our child to public school for elem and then Catholic for high school. Maybe sending public first will allow us to save for Catholic high school.

Advantages - if you are Catholic - are sending child to school with similar catholic values and of course, CCD etc. Parish schools often have great communities. Public schools are very different today then when we went - where there was probably more christian traditions incorporated into it. Personally, I think that's right for a public school today not to be religious. Some catholic parents are concerned about the sexual education curriculum of the MCPS. Academics at parish schools are a debate - many are less than the public schools.

Anonymous wrote:I realize that these schools are considered to be undesirable by many on this list either b/c of the religious aspect or b/c of the perception of low quality academics. However, there is really very little information about the character and personality of these schools out there. They must be different from each other in distinct ways. Surely, each has its own relative strengths and weaknesses (acknowledging that none have facilities to compete with say, Norwood or Sidwell). But can we discuss how they differ from each other and what each has to offer?

So far, I've heard that deChantal has the strongest athletic program, but large classes (30+) Blessed Sacrament is supposed to be impossible to get into unless you are in the parish AND active in the parish (is it really THAT good?). I've heard St. Elizabeth's is strict and observant. St. Bart's is small and cozy, more flexible in grouping but instruction is boring: drills, worksheets, etc.

Here are some others I'd like to know more about: Mercy, Little Flower, Our Lady of Lourdes, St. Ann's, St. Raphael's, Holy Cross, Holy Redeemer, Our Lady of Victory or any others, really. Are there any good ones across the river in VA? I'm open to hearing about it.

Can we dish on the Catholic school scene? Or does this list lack the critical mass (no pun intended) necessary?

I have heard the same things about Blessed Sacrament. I have heard great things about Mercy and St. Bart's. I have heard that Little Flower is a bit on the snobby side and that St. Ann's has improved in the past few years.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is the tuition for Primary Day School worth it? I can't believe that it is $17,000 for Kindergarten. It seems ridiculous.

Lots of other privates cost loads more, $27,000, for K and up. Primary Day supposedly has a good track record for getting graduates in to MD privates.

Can a student start at Primary Day and then get into a Catholic school for grades 3-8? What is the top Catholic elementary school in the area?

Blessed Sacrament

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is the tuition for Primary Day School worth it? I can't believe that it is $17,000 for Kindergarten. It seems ridiculous.

Lots of other privates cost loads more, $27,000, for K and up. Primary Day supposedly has a good track record for getting graduates in to MD privates.

Can a student start at Primary Day and then get into a Catholic school for grades 3-8? What is the top Catholic elementary school in the area?

Blessed Sacrament or St. Bart's