Parent trying to decide between Public vs.Catholic Schooling.?

Question

My son will be entering Kindergarten at almost 6 yr. old due to the birthday rule in our state. Hes very smart, shy and slow to warm. He has attended a pre-school program which has been more of just a two hr/3 days/wk babysitting session. I kept him there for many reasons (different story).
We are not Catholic. Its several thousand dollars/year. A small school w/one class per grade through 8th. Very academic oriented school w/ Spanish & computers as regular classes starting at Kindergarten.
The public school is a very good one in our district. Has an open classroom format which is less than desirable, to us. The curriculum is standard -good - & virtually no security issues at this time.
Our main concern against public is the open classroom, student:teacher ratio of 1:18 and values of many families we have met...they are just not in line with ours. Good people, differnt lives.
Against Catholic is cost and "elitism" attitude of others in community.
What are your thoughts?

Answer 1

We faced the same dilemas with our children, now 14, 16, and 18. We sent out first child to public school, but moved her to a Christian school in 2nd grade after not being happy with the "rule yourself" attitude of the grade school in our area (which by the way, is very esteemed). We started our other 2 at the Christian school as well. We moved the children back to the public school for middle school and high school. I was happy with our decision because the Christian school offered a more disciplined environment, which I believe is important during those years. Knowing their boundries taught them respect and gave them more confidence. We decided to move them back to the public school during the middle school years rather than at high school or college because we saw several families struggle with the kids "going wild" once they went back to mainstream eduction and we figured we had more control over their choices of friends and activities at the middle school ages, as opposed to high school or college ages. Also, in our area, the public schools offer more academic, social clubs, and sporting opportunities than most private schools and we wanted our children to be able to take advantage of these. Looking back, I am happy with our decision to give our children the early environment in which to build faith, respect, and self-confidence and then later moving them at a time where we could help them sort out those issues in the "real world". Now that we are looking at college expenses the grade school tuition seems like nothing. It is a wonderful investment. Don't be concerned about conveying an attitude of "elitism". I never trashed the public schools or boasted about the benefits of public schools, I just said that there is no universal right or wrong and that every family needed to make a decision which was right for each child. Good luck with your decision!

Answer 2

My daughter is 13 and I too had her in a pre-school and then moved her to a Catholic School for Kindergarten. She is very smart and prone to get into trouble if she gets bored. She was not very social so I decided on the Catholic school. We stayed there until the 3rd grade when I moved her to a Christian private shcool because we moved. We are Catholic and they very strongly teach Catholic beliefs. It is ok up until the 2nd grade when they do first communion. Some of the teachers were not Catholic so not everyone there was. There are a lot of things parents have to do. Not that I did not want to be involved but you had to sell script which was like gift certificates. So much a year. Then you had to volunteer 17 hours or pay so much per hour if you didn't. If you did go to church there you could pay part of your tuition as tithe and use that as a deduction on your income tax. The Christian school also required a lot of volunteering but you don't have to pay if you don't do enough hours. By the 8th grade we moved her to a local public school because she wanted to play more sports. She was a whole grade ahead and even then is still in the giften and talented. I think it was a good start. Look for the Christian schools in your area or whatever your religion is. That way your child will get the better education and be able to learn values that you believe in. The price was a little cheaper also at the Christian school. We are not Spanish and she can understand Spanish and speak quite a bit and read and write some. Pretty good since we live in Texas. The Catholic school was very ethnic and she learned to deal with all kinds of kids and backgrounds. email me if you need more info. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

The Catholic schools accept non Catholics but the parents have to understand that the child will be subjected to the religious rigors of the Catholic religion...I would advise you to really study the situation and get an in depth understanding about Catholicism and how much time is spent on the religious study with the different church holidays (Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Pentecost) I was raised strict Catholic and my kids went to public school with some Catholic upbringing...He is Protestant (husband) and both religions are Christian...
The public school looks out for all kids and the education is rounded where exposure to the arts are there if the child is interested or sports or ...I needed public school and was educated Catholic but I do not regret it...The Catholic schools have come a long way since I attended...

Answer 4

If I could do it over again, I would pick the catholic school. I worked in both the private school and public school systems, and I will say that the education in the private schools was better.
I will say you will have politics no matter what school you attend, but consider this...at a private school you are mandated to put in so many parent hours..and you pay to send your child here. At a public school you are not mandated to do squat, and a good majority do nothing, and then all people do id complain when things do not get done. (Why is that) You mention that your kindergartener will get a foreign language starting right away and he will get computers...your public school will not offer him that until maybe middle school. Small classes means he will be social the entire time with the same kids forming a deep bond and fried ships that he will not get in the public school system. If you are worried about the elitist view from others in the school...you would get that in the public school form those who think they are better than others just as much as those that are in the private school. So good luck with your decision, you will do the right thing...if not, you can always change it at the 1/2 way point or at the following year.

Answer 5

I know several children in both situations, and really there isn't much of a difference. Catholic schools cater to everyone, so your child's class may only be half Catholic. The other half may be the same deal as you have seen in the public schools in the way of values and all. The only real difference in the schools anymore is the cost. One child I know went to Catholic school in 6th grade, after having been in public school. He has been bullied mercilessly in Catholic school. He never was bullied in public school.

Right now, especially where I live, the Dioceses are trying to build up money to pay for all these lawsuits. Most of it is affecting the schools. Here, in KY, the Catholic schools are getting larger and larger, because they are being merged. It won't be long until they are just as big as the public ones.

I guess I would go public, save your money.

Answer 6

I attended Catholic school for 11 years and my last year of high school was forced to attend the public school in our area because my parents got divorced. As a product of Catholic school education, I can honestly say that your son will receive a higher level of education in Catholic school. I guess you can describe what I went through as "shell shock" on the first day of my senior year. I could not believe how disrespectful the students were towards the teachers. I had never experienced anything like this in my life before.

Although there are high fees associated with sending your child to Catholic school I think the education is well worth it.


Good Luck to you and your son!

Answer 7

I am Catholic, and was raised in a Catholic school. I raised my son also in a Catholic school. But I have found that not all Catholic schools are the same and operate with the true values and mission they say that they offer. It's the same as going to different parts of the country and looking at the public schools. It is more costly to operate a school with a low teacher student ratio. For example, I love Montessori but found it too expensive beyond Kindergarten. So myself and my extended family have all had these problems, my brother choosing Catholic Home Schooling program because of good textbooks and home based values. We had a very good experience here with our son in the Catholic school, he has made life long friends.

My son is now in a public high school and we find this particular public school to be very commendable. He is doing very well. I started him in Montessori pre-school when he was 4 for two years. It developed him very well socially and academically.

I would like to point out that someone's comment about the practice of Catholicism for non-catholics is wrong. We had in our classroom a Muslim boy and a Jewish girl, and several Protestants and "Other." They did not attend the religious education program at all, and were made to feel welcome and valued.

I also teach Sunday school to the public school children in our area. I have noticed this interesting point. If the children are grouped with other children who share like values outside of the school, children that they also share school time with, they begin to grow stronger and more centered on what their real values are by becoming their own culture within the school. This could occur through a very strong Boy Scout or Girl Scout program, or similar combination of teaching/sharing of activities.

You probably need to develop a network of families that you do like. I was new to this area when my son was 3. But through the course of these years, I have come to know many good families. This has strengthened us as a family.

Answer 8

You raise a very good question. I had gone to both, and I felt that My time in public school was a lot better. It seems to me that Catholic Schools seem to shelter the children from the outside world, and Although not your reason, many parents choose that reason to send their kids there. If your child is shy and slow to warm, putting him in a situation with sheltered children might keep him that way. If your child is Smart, Try to find a charter school or magnet program. I think it would pay off in the long run. A public School with a 1:18 ratio is great in my opinion. When I went to school i think My class was always 1:30 . Which is big. A charter or magnet school is usually free or low cost to smart children, and the education is better by far then public or private school.

Answer 9

Give the public school K-3rd grade a try. Kids aren't into values at this time of life they prefer to just be kids and just play. If you find during those 4 years that you can't handle it but he can you might change your way of thinking which is always good to broaden your thinking.
However, if you see undesirable traits like getting into fights or grades lowering for no apparent reason consider the alternative. It is easier to get a child into a higher grade in Catholic school, the kindergarten waiting list is very long indeed!

Answer 10

the catholic school is the best choice here. I have never seen a good public school. my family travels a lot so I am "home schooled" but my home most of the time was the road. I loved it. I have never had any social problems and when I get home I go back to my friends and hang out. but back to your question, in all my travels my parents and I have never found a good public school system. also in any public school your son will be around drugs, drinking, smoking, and a whole list of other things. do not do public school.