Catholic School or Public School?

[kpm76]

Our children will go to Catholic school because we want our children to have a faith-based education. However, just like public schools, not all Catholic schools are great. However, there are some in our area that are exceptional, especially at the high school level. Graduates go on to top notch colleges and are well prepared. It's worth the investment for us.

 

[VioltePrincess]

Since my family is Jewish, Catholic School was never an option.

I did consider, briefly, the local Jewish day school for its small class size and the religious and cultural education it would afford --much better than the after-school Hebrew school at our synagogue. I also considered, briefly, the Long Island School for the Gifted for my younger dd.

ultimately, however, I chose public school. with a few notable exceptions, most Long island school districts are high performing, and we live in one of the better school districts.

just to throw out a few details -- 96% of our graduates go on to some form of higher education. many of them go on to top tier schools. we regularly have students who place high in the Siemens scince research contest, and in similar academic contests. we are a multicultural district, with many opportunities in the arts, sports and social activities. I think my girls are receiving a wonderful education.

 

[my4kids]

Our children will go to Catholic school because we want our children to have a faith-based education. However, just like public schools, not all Catholic schools are great. However, there are some in our area that are exceptional, especially at the high school level. Graduates go on to top notch colleges and are well prepared. It's worth the investment for us.

Check out your local Catholic schools faith based curriculum before you decide this....I thought the same thing, when I visited the school, with lacking facilities, I asked to see exactly what religion was taught. It was the exact same text used in the sunday school class on Sunday. So I said, "what other religion are they getting, that I can't get by going public?" The answer was, they say the Our Father in the morning." For $4,000 a year, and a horrible reading program,I will say the Our Father with my kids at the breakfast table before they leave for school.

 

[CherCrazy]

Yes that is the type of education I perfer. Obviously there are career specific courses but I think schools should be meant to educate not train.

Schmitty, I think you were a little tough on the poster and I'm not trying to be mean, just trying to clarify. If you read her personal info, she's only maybe 16. She just used the "wrong" word. I am very familiar with her high school...I live nearby. It has an excellent reputation and believe me, it is not "training" kids. The district is known as one of the best in the region. The district offers an incredible variety of courses that appeal to the students and give them insight into the opportunities that are available whether they go on to college, trade school, or right to employment.

And because of school districts like Washington Twp, or Twp as it is fondly called, public education in this area gets my vote. BUT...back to the original question, public or private entirely depends on the curriculum/services/etc. offered in your area.

 

[ElizK]

I chose "other private school". I would like to send my girls to private Christian school (not Catholic) if we could afford it. Fortunately we live in a very good school district. Also, DD11 has a slight LD that a private school would not be prepared to deal with like the public school is.


eta: I have no problem with Catholic schools, but would prefer a Protestant school, since we are Protestants. DD14 went to a private Christian school for Kindergarten and 1st grade. It was excellent! Would love to have been able to keep her there, but, man, was it cost-prohibitive!

 

[Disneyland_Mama]

I chose public school. Right now my DD5 goes to a private Presbyterian preschool and although we love it, I don't see the difference in the public school system v. private school. In fact, our DD schools director encourages all the parents to send their children to the public school system and use the money for a great college education.
My DNef went to parochial school for the first 5 years of his education and has learned more in the public school system. In fact, his teacher from the parochial school, advised my DSIL and DBIL to send him to public school, b/c the catholic school is dependant on private funds and with the settlements they are paying out to victims, the school system is suffering. She claims the parochial schools are not as advanced as the public schools in So. California.
I truely believe it is a parents responsibility to stay active and involved in the education of their children, public or private.

 

[simpilotswife]

We have an excellent school district so my children attedn the public schools. I find that class sizes in Catholic Schools in our area are larger than the class sizes in public school (as others on this thread have noted). Also my children have access to a more enriched curriculum in high school than they could ever hope to receive in a catholic or private school in this area.

 

[schmitty]

I think her point was that the correct way to say it is, "would have," not "would of." She's teasing you about using poor grammar when talking about the value of education.

A friendly jest, I think. No big deal.

Haha, when I was writing out my response I thought "would of" sounded weird but I just left it as is.

 

[schmitty]

golfgal, I'm saying basically the same thing as what coolbeans is saying

Newsflash: I wasn't knocking anybody. You can be well educated and fix cars. The two aren't mutually exclusive.

Schools job shouldn't be to only train people for a job.

Chercrazy, I get what you are saying and by how the person described it it seemed like she was going to a school that is only training kids to get a job.

 

[DisneyBlonde]

My son has always gone to Catholic School. The public schools in our area are not good. Unfortunately, the catholic schools have turned out not to be much better. Had I to do it over again, I would have moved to a better area (bought this house because it's on the same street as my parents...I traveled with my job when DS was very young, so being this close was a convenience for my parents, who watched DS while I was gone).

 

[Laura]

Many public school systems around here are better than the parochial schools. Not all, of course. The secular private schools definitely are great.

So it just depends on your public schools.

 

[Beth76]

Schools job shouldn't be to only train people for a job.

Chercrazy, I get what you are saying and by how the person described it it seemed like she was going to a school that is only training kids to get a job.

In the case of my school, I obviously wasn't training for a job. I was preparing for college. I took Architecture classes because I wanted to be an architect. But you know what? I found out that architecture wasn't for me. So then I took an interior design class and that what I ended up majoring in in college. So these "vocational" classes helped me and my college career. And I have to say when I got to college I was the only one I knew who had taken drafting in high school. The specialty classes were electives. Everyone was required to take a certain amount of standard classes.

 

[CPM]

Our children will go to Catholic school because we want our children to have a faith-based education. However, just like public schools, not all Catholic schools are great. However, there are some in our area that are exceptional, especially at the high school level. Graduates go on to top notch colleges and are well prepared. It's worth the investment for us.

I think that is a great reason to send them to a Catholic School. I can never understand why people that aren't Catholic send their children to a Catholic school. JMO.

I do believe that whatever type of school you send your children to, YOU the parent can enrich their education by participation, and involvement.
Around here the most of the Public schools offer a better education than the Catholic schools, but I think if I wanted my children to have a faith based education, then it would be worth it to put them in Catholic school.

 

[aprilgail2]

I would not send her to Catholic school simply because I don't believe religion has anyplace in school. I considered a non religous private school but I just cant get past the uniform bit, I want her to be an individual, not just one of 500 kids all dressed and looking the same. Our public schools are good so it is really not an issue at all anyway.

 

[*Fantasia*]

My children attend Catholic school. They are happy.. I'm happy!

 

[castleview]

Newsflash: I wasn't knocking anybody. You can be well educated and fix cars. The two aren't mutually exclusive.

My apologies for implying you were knocking anyone. But why do you think students who take the vocational classes aren't being well educated? They have the same core requirements as the college bound students, they just choose different electives.

 

[CPM]

I would not send her to Catholic school simply because I don't believe religion has anyplace in school. I considered a non religous private school but I just cant get past the uniform bit, I want her to be an individual, not just one of 500 kids all dressed and looking the same. Our public schools are good so it is really not an issue at all anyway.

That wasn't what I was referring to in my post, just to clarify.
What I meant is, for example, I am catholic, I wouldn't send my child to a Jewish school and vice versa. I don't really care if religion is brought into schools or not but If I were a particular religion, I wouldn't send my child to a school that teaches another one. JMO.
I think religious schools were originally meant to be faith oriented while teaching and they turned into something else.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

MY DS (8) goes to a Catholic school. I originally sent him there because we lived in a less than desireable school district.

We have since sold our house and very soon will be purchasing a house in a better school district but DS will stay in the Catholic school and DD will start 3 yo Pre-school there next year .

I love that we know most of the families in the school and all of the teachers. I love that religion is incorporated into my sons education. He has already been taught a high standard of morals . All the teachers, principal etc know my sons name. He is not a number going through the system.

I love the uniform idea, because its not a debate or a 20 minute procedure to figure out what he'll wear from day to day. The fund raising and tuition does get old. But as long as my children are happy and receive a good education in a safe and thriving envionment , its all worth it.

 

[mom2boys]

My kids have attended both Catholic school and public school. We are fortunate enough to live in a sought after school boundry area. Our schools consistantly out perform others schools within the district on standardized tests. Our children have many more opportunities available to them in the public school than they did in the Catholic school. If we lived in a different area of the county, I might reconsider. If we lived where my brother lives, I wouldn't let my kids out of the house, let alone send them to public school. Sadly, he lives where I grew up. The area has really changed. BTW, I went to Catholic school and while it was better than my local public school, I don't think my parents got their money's worth. The highest level of math was trig - no calculus, no statistics. There were three science courses offered - Physical Science & Biology were required. Chemistry was encouraged but not required. NOthing else was offered. Granted it was an all-girls school & I gradutate in 1980. My school consolidated with the boys school & I would hope they have stepped up the ciriculum. ( I didn't learn to spell well either)

 

[Cool-Beans]

My apologies for implying you were knocking anyone. But why do you think students who take the vocational classes aren't being well educated? They have the same core requirements as the college bound students, they just choose different electives.

Again with the incorrect assumptions.

What I said was that the purpose of education is to give the kids some kind of erudition, or at least have them end up smarter than rocks. Training them for jobs is vocational type stuff.

There were people saying the point of going to school is to get them prepared to work, and there is a difference. Lots of folks who'll never work a day in their lives go to school, too. The purpose of education is NOT to prepare people to work, it is to give them knowledge.

OK?