Catholic vs. Public School

I went to a Catholic school for 12 years. I liked it and wouldn't go back and change it. I also learned a lot about my faith. I also like having the school and church community all together.However, I went to Girl Scouts and sports with the kids from my neighborhood, who attended the nieghborhood public school. For someone who is outgoing, I guess this would be fine. I have always been shy, and sometimes it was hard because they all knew each other. I have also taught young children (kinder and first) in both Catholic school and public school. I think you are smart to consider both. People have asked me which I would choose, since I have been in both systems, and I always say, look at both and see yourself. I would never make a blanket statement and say always choose Catholic school. Much can depend on the administration and the teachers. A good teacher is a good teacher wherever they are. The two public schools I have been at had teachers who really cared about the children. ALSO, if you are in a school that has supportive parents, the school thrives much better. You say that a "good" Catholic school isn't nearby, but the nearby public school is. You don't say what that opinion is based on, but if after researcing them, you came to the same conclusion, I personally would go to the public school. Other factors--some public schools have better resources to serve special needs children, also things like computer technology, sports, etc. there can be differences too. A parent's support in their children's education, whether in public or private, help their children excel and their character grows positivly. It is a big decision! Since you don't have to decide soon, you may just want to make a list of what your deciding factors are, and be on the lookout for those. Also, feedback from other parents! What is their feel from the school? I mean, from parents who share what you do. Some will complain about anything. Also, here, Catholic schools will typically give tours during Cathlic Schools Week (January?). So that is a suggestion as well. And, (I keep thinking of things) if the Catholic school you would choose has a packed enrollment, and it is difficult to get in, it is wise to start your child in the Pre-K program if there is one.

Thanks for your response. I guess when I say that the Catholic school near us isn't good, I can't say it's bad either. It's just small and they don't have the financial resources for things like a nice computer lab and other sorts of technology. It is growing like crazy though, so it could be a totally different story in 4 years. The parish that we currently belong to has a wonderful, newly renovated, highly technical school. However, our kids would probably be the only ones from our neighborhood that go there. I agree about the special ed factor. If my kids required special services, they would go to public shool without a doubt. Decisions, decisions! Thanks again for your input!!

We wonder about that, too. The best public school in the city is less than a block from us, but I'm not sure about the school connected to our parish. Don't feel weird---we are thinking about it too, and our little one has his first birthday later this week.

I've thought about it, but don't have too much of a choice. The nearest Catholic schools to us are located in a city about 35 - 40 minutes away. While some kids for our school are on the bus that long after school, we only live 5 minutes from the county K-12 school our children would attend, and I can't see having my child ride the bus that long, so I plan to drive him (5 years from now, when he's old enough to start......) I haven't totally given up the idea of driving him back and forth to the C school yet, but I"ll have to really sit down and think about where he would get the best education (excluding religion) and how it would affect him socially.

I went to Catholic school all my life (even college!) and I also loved it. But we don't have an elementary Catholic school near us, and we moved to our neighborhood b/c of the great elementary school so it's kind of an easy decision for us (at least for K-8). I would definitely consider a Catholic high school though (there are some good ones fairly close to us). OMG, I feel so guilty b/c I haven't even started thinking of preschool and DD is 15 mos! Good luck with your decision.

We are in the same boat. I have found that we have a catholic preschool in the next city which is only about a 10 minute drive. I have an appointment to go see them. As far as older it is about 25 minutes away and not so sure about what we will do then.

Have you thought about public elementary school and Catholic secondary. That is what we are doing. Our ocal Catholic schools are only so-so but the public school is phenominal. My kids all went there until 5th grade then transfered to private school. My dd is in a Catholic highschool now with several of the kids she went to elementary with. Just a thought. lisa

We have thought about sending DS to public school for the lower grades and then transfer over, but for us it's not a good option. I want him to start school with most of the same kids and continue on that way, kwim? I think it would be hard for him to switch over in 5th grade when his friends would be going to middle school and he to a totally new school, with a different environment and new kids where he would be the "new boy", kwim? Another part of our decision to start in Catholic school is it's close proximity and the fact that it is progressive where they have a 2 yr old program all through 8th grade. We are starting the 2 yo "Mommy and me" this Thursday! Plus DH and I are both Catholic school educated so it is what we know. But we're from the time when the schools were run by nuns!!! Lol. --Renee

Hi, Catholic school girl here too. :) Five of our children go to the catholic school and one public. Couple things to think about. 1) Private schools have limited special classes, and experiance with behavioral problems. If your child has a learning disability the brunt of educating will fall on you. 2) Out of our grade school of 300 kids, their are 6 AA children. Not very diverse. On the positive side the small numbers and having God in their lives everyday has made a big differance. To me a Catholic school is more of a family. There is not a doubt in my mind that when I say goodbye to my kids in the morning that they are in good hands. Our children have friends from the public schools on the block and it makes no differance to them. They play city sports, Girl Scouts, and gymnastic with them all through the year too. Lastly, I think it says a lot about teachers that make close to nothing in the catholic school compared to the public schools but come back year after year to teach our children. I could blah, blah all day about it. My number one advice to parents regarding this is..... If you suspect any learning issues, think very hard about which school you will choose. It is not fair to pull a child out of the catholic school in second grade because they are not able to serve them.

Our oldest son has always gone to public because he has special needs that the Catholic schools can't help with. Our younger 2 boys go to a Catholic school and I LOVE IT!! The biggest difference is the amount of time they require familes to volunteer and fundraise in order to keep the tuition down. The second difference is our Catholic school is WAY ahead of the public school academically. My son was doing all cursive writing by Christmas last year when the public school doesn't even introduce it until 3rd grade. I think it depends on the individual child. I would be less worried about where their friends go and more concerned about the curriculum and class size etc. Good luck!MarchI am adopted 3 bio sons1 beautiful baby daughter (TPR done)awaiting finalization in the next 6 months

My DH and I are both Catholic. I went to Catholic grade school and public high school (and did not like it) and he went to Catholic high school also. We are sending our children to public school for a couple of reasons. First, we REALLY LIKE the schools in our area, the classroom sizes are much smaller than in the Catholic school and the diversity is unreal. We are a multiracial family. I am white, DH is black. Both of us feel that our children, learning about other cultures, races, religions, on a daily level by interacting with other children, is the best case scenario. We also believe that each child may require a different situation. For now, each of our 3 children are doing very well in the public school. We would consider Catholic high school. Time will tell. You're the parents. You know your child(ren) the best. Take what you know about YOUR CHILD, research the schools by speaking with other parents, administrators, etc. and then decide. Best wishes. Josie

Don't feel silly about thinking of this already... DH and I had discussed it long before having our child. There was never really an option for us. We both attended Catholic school k-12 and our public school system here is terrible (and I can say that because I teach in it). Don't get me wrong, there are great public schools here and great teachers, but our system as a whole is really screwed up. We are mainly concerned about financing a Catholic education. We have some of the best schools here, but all are very expensive to attend. K-8 is around $4000-$5000 a year and high school is around $10000 a year. :eek: We would love a big family, but we worry about paying for schooling and college. I do worry about the lack of diversity though in private schools. In all of my 12 years in Catholic schools, there was NEVER an AA child in my class. I don't want my son (AA/CC) to feel like an outsider, or even worse, be treated differently. I hope with getting involved with our church we will meet other families and become a part of the community, so when T begins school, the other children already know him and accept him.