Which school would you send your child to?

Question

A catholic private school that is the best in your town... or the public school that has poor test scores, high teacher turnover, and lots of student violence.

If you send your child to the Catholic school, they will have religion class once a week, and a school mass once a week and a supberb education. If you send your child to the public school they wouldn't be influenced by religion at all.

And by the way, you are not Chrisitan....

So what would you do?

*** just so you know, there are some non Chrisitans that DO send their children to our local Catholic School because they think it is better than the local school system***

Answer 1

That's a no brainer. For sure the Catholic school.

Here in my city, the Catholic schools are one of two publically funded systems (the other being secular public schools.) They generally tend to outperform the public schools scholastically, and a lot of people send their kids there... better discipline and a better education.

We had a large Somalian community (mostly Muslim) develop here in the 80s and 90s... many of them opted for the Catholic school system, as it was just a better educational environment for their kids.

You'd have to hate Catholicism a lot not to see that as a possibility!

Answer 2

I'd send my kids to Catholic school, even a mediocre one. I attended Catholic schools and it was a wonderful experience, even though I'm not really religious. I had friends who were Protestant, Hindu, Pagan, and atheists, and I think I actually learned to be more tolerant of other beliefs in a Catholic school than I would have been in a public school, because public schools from what I gather strongly discourage religious dialogue. In my high school our religion classes included other faiths, although of course that depends on the school and the teachers. But I've never heard of a Catholic school that refuses or pressures non-Catholic children.

Answer 3

Public school. I was in a public school, but I also managed to get all A+ and graduate with a scholarship. I didn't learn all I know in school-- I was the kid that would pick up a book and teach myself. My mom helped a lot too-- maybe public schools are bad because the parents aren't active in the kids' lives? And as for violence-- it's the real world...nothing is always good or bad. Stuff happens. I would say homeschool instead, but kids need friends.

The problem I'd have with the Catholic school would be that my kid would be the only Agnostic-Pagan kid there. Imagine how often the kid would be picked on. Not to mention-- I wonder how teachers would deal with my child if he or she wanted to wear a pentacle and not a cross? My kid would be taught that he or she was going to Hell because we practice Pagan rites-- there is no way I'd want my kid to have to go through that.

Answer 4

i live in a small town and both schools are excellent. I worked in a Catholic school for several years and I could see the 'edge' these kids had over the public kids. Was so nice they received along with the individualized attention, a lesson in living as a Christian when making life-long decisions. They claimed a high percentage of students stayed above average in their grades. Wow! Not all were Catholics who attended, but can't say I knew of anyone who was non-christian sending their kids there. Too bad.

Answer 5

Catholic school, of course. I'm a Catholic, and attended Catholic schools myself. When I transferred from Catholic school to public school, they were so far behind that it was like going back to the Stone Age. I don't actually have kids, but if I did, public school wouldn't even be an option. I'd even be willing to consider various types of private schools (Quaker schools have a reputation for excellence, as do Episcopalian schools, and I'd consider exploring the concept of Waldorf education further, as well as secular private schools). But a public school? That wouldn't be happening.

Answer 6

I went to catholic school for most of my years, I went to public school for 7,8,9 grades. Although the public schools did not spend as much 1 on 1 time with me, I feel I learned a lot there. The Catholic schools I went to had the religion class, and nobody (I mean NOBODY) took it seriously, it was the blow off class to raise your GPA (and this is how most catholic schools get to say that their students graduate with an average GPA of 3.5!). I had plenty of “bad seeds” in catholic school also. I was not sheltered from violence, drugs, or anything. There was actually quite a drug problem in my school because most of the staff turned a blind eye to it. The one thing I was sheltered from was poverty. Everyone at my school had parents who could pay $5000 per year to send their kids there.

Even after 9 years of catholic school I will send my kids to public school, no doubt in my mind.

Answer 7

I'd take the public school any day. Just because I don't like private schools too much. I'd rather have a taste of real life, and meet real everyday people, even if it does mean a bit of student violence on the side. That's life.

And religion is still worked into public schools too, or at least in England it is. Religious Education class every week. You can't escape it.

Answer 8

The school with the best education. Education must come first. We can not afford to raise child that cant spell or add. I went to a Catholic school (not a catholic now) but had kids in my class that were not catholic. Their parents just wanted the best education for them. Knoledge is powerful and a must.

Answer 9

I'm a Mormon but we're thinking about sending our kids to the Catholic school in town. It's smaller, the teachers are great (teachers in the other school are good too) but we really like that the Catholic school does not teach the book "Janie has two mommies" or "Billy has two daddies" or "Mary had a little baby and she can raise it because she's fifteen and ALMOST grown up...."

Answer 10

I would move to another city or town with a better public education or I would seek out a private secular school.I would want my children to be educated with a good education and be free from being told how to believe or what to believe or that they can not be who they want to be because of certain beliefs.For instance, if I had a gay son I wouldn't want him to be in a school where he was told he had to be anything but himself.I also wouldn't want my children to be exposed to what I consider delusional propaganda.If they want to embrace that then I think they should be able to do it on their own rather then have it taught to them at an early age.