Catholic Military Prep High Schools--anyone attend one? Would you send your child?

[TAX GUY]

You're all fired for not following rule #1.....

 

[katie01]

If he is a good kid he may shine at the Catholic Military school. I would just tell him that if he goes there then he is under no obligation to enlist that you just suggested it so he stays with his friends.

When you say military school is it just one like the PP mentioned where JROTC was a requirement is it more like the ones in Texas that aren't using the US military JROTC programs but rather training up "G-d's army"? I only ask because I would be hesitant to send a child to the ones like I have experience in Texas but if it was just a JROTC component I would say go for it.

Best of luck on the decision. We aren't Catholic but I know my fiance who is from a Jewish family went to a Catholic preschool because the education was better. His parents admitted they probably would have kept him in for all of elementary school had he stayed in NYC because some of the best private schools here are Catholic schools. It seems counter productive to their religious believes but it worked for them.

Yes, it is the JROTC kind only. I looked it up, and only 1% of the graduates enlist, I didn't realize it was so few. We had good experiences at our Catholic schools too, it was a loving and supportive place for me, and we had non-Carholics attending as well. While we lacked many of the options that our public high school had, they did an excellent job of preparing us for college with the basics, I ran into a fellow graduate a few weeks ago and he was saying how, 30 some years after his own graduation, he still realizes what a great preparation our school gave us for life and college (he is now a teacher)

 

[katie01]

You're all fired for not following rule #1.....

Lol, I pretty much re-wrote everything I originally said later on in my comments. Those who read the original one can probably vouch for that

 

[wilkeliza]

Yes, it is the JROTC kind only. I looked it up, and only 1% of the graduates enlist, I didn't realize it was so few. We had good experiences at our Catholic schools too, it was a loving and supportive place for me, and we had non-Carholics attending as well. While we lacked many of the options that our public high school had, they did an excellent job of preparing us for college with the basics, I ran into a fellow graduate a few weeks ago and he was saying how, 30 some years after his own graduation, he still realizes what a great preparation our school gave us for life and college (he is now a teacher)

Now I can see the big issue! I wouldn't know what to do in this situation. This school looks like it may push him academically and he would be with all his guy friends but the other one has other things to offer as well. That is a hard decision. We went with this with our niece as their FL private school is a great school but you have to switch to a different campus for high school. Since the switch was happening anyways she asked if she could look at other schools as well. Her parents finally decided they would look for 2 good schools (one was public and one was private) and she could choose what she thought was best for her from the two of them.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

You're all fired for not following rule #1.....

Hahahahaha! I would have quoted but it was already gone by the time I got here!

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

That is wonderful about your son finishing first in his class, no easy task with what sounds like a high quality of education and competition. I'm glad it was a very positive experience for him! The families that have sent their sons to this local one seem to love it too. On the one hand I can't fight the feeling that it just isn't the right fit for DS, but on the other hand I see how intelligent he is and think I don't want him to miss out on a challenging education. Ultimately though I am sure kids can thrive anywhere they feel safe and supported. Sometimes it is almost harder to have choices because I overthink it all and don't want to make the "wrong" one.

What does your son want to do? Has he had the chance to shadow for a full day at each school? If not he should really do that so he can see what a "day in the life" looks like. It may allow him to better see himself at one school or the other.

My DS wanted to go to his all boys Catholic Military HS in the worst way. He flat out rejected the small co-ed Catholic HS on the other side of town...wouldn't even look at it. He also got into every Public HS specialty center he applied to. He shadowed at several public and private schools and it solidified his choice.

I think some people hear Military and freak out a little. My relatives confused Military school with Reform school. A Catholic Military school is not a Reform school full of reprobates and discipline problems. Two boys in DS's class joined the Marines right out of HS. 10 or so went to private military universities (Citadel, VMI - one got a full ROTC scholarship), one went to the Air Force Academy. Other than that, the majority have no plans to continue in the military.