My children attend private Catholic schools, too. I did also. I like knowing that what is deemed wrong or incorrect in my home, would also be wrong at school. I see school as an extension of what I teach my children and, private christian schools seem to do that well. I don't have anything against public schools but, it's not for my kids.

Walter, I am glad that your children's educational needs are being met by Catholic school. Luckily here, our public schools can offer all that your schools do, perhaps more. I know that the Catholic schools here have trouble maintaining enrollment because our public schools offer so much that they do not, from kindergarten up. Our public school kids can get speech and learning therapies, remedial reading programs, mentoring, gifted and talented programs, music, art, p.e., orchestra and band beginning in fourth grade, high school level languages and math courses in 8th grade, as well as a host of extracurricular activities and sports. Many of the families whose kids attend catholic grade school put them into public school for the middle school years so that they don't miss out on all the opportunites.

I also know that troublemakers are not removed here, because the schools need the tuition to keep running (my MIL taught at a catholic grade school (k-8) for 25 years, just retired two years ago. Her last 6th grade class (the only one in the school) had 12 kids. She said that the object was to keep the kids and the tuition, so they put up with things that would not have been allowed 20 years ago, and that the parents were basically always right.

Our schools, k-12, are part of the Character Counts! program. In fact, our entire community is committed to the pillars of character in the program. So my schools promote the same values that we promote at home: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. The threads of these are woven throughout the learning experience at all levels. And, fortunately, I know that we have instilled these values in our children so that I don't need the school to do that for us. Children's value sets are pretty well established by the age of 9.

Also, we want our kids to be exposed to a variety of experiences and practices, so that they learn to respect and accept others beliefs as valid and honorable. I don't ever want them to think that there is only one set of rituals that is okay with God!

I pulled my daughter out of Catholic School this year. It was the best decision I ever made & I should have done it sooner. All of the wonderful things: discipline, superior instruction & teaching of values, wern't happening.

I am aware that there are some VERY GOOD parochial schools out there, but where I am, the Godless public schools are the way to go.

Proof of the pudding: The second week of school this year, my daughter asked "Why didn't you move me last year?"

My 9 yr old DD has been private schooled since age 3. First school was a Catholic Montessori (grades pre-k thru high school) it was awesome, but we moved. Second school was a Catholic grade school that she was 4th generation attending. It stunk. Such a disappointment. Now she is at another Catholic grade school that is awesome.

I was public schooled all the way through college. However, today is a very different time than when I was a kid. Our community doesn't fund our public schools properly. Either that or there is a whole lotta waste in public schools. They cut out the arts, music, pe...etc. Our little Catholic school has a full time arts teacher, pe teacher, music teacher, and spanish teacher. My daughter is getting a superior education.

Furthermore, we are Catholic and I like the values she receives at school. Ten commandments can't be spoken in public schools, but they are lived by each day at her school. We are fortunate to have a wonderful Priest and Principal who take time to reach out to every child. I am confident this is an environment that she can learn in. That's what is important.

My experiences match Leslie's. Our schools are excellent. I attended Catholic elementary school, public high school, and private college. I determined that I would never put my kids through what I went through in the Catholic school and have enrolled them in public schools. You do have to be selective of any school your child attends because no one has the corner on the best schools. Every 4th grader in our district plays the viloin. Every 5th grader plays a horn. Our bands and orchestras start in elementary school. Our kids have numerous AP classes to choose from, and every time we open a new public school, the kids leave the local private school in significant numbers to attend our schools. Our district's graduating seniors last year earned five million dollars in scholarships. Our drop out rate is about 1/2 of 1%. No school is perfect, and I do think it is the kinds of families that attend a school who make it great or not. Parents set standards and expectations not only for their children but also for their schools.

I was so compelled to respond to this forum. Currently, my husband and I have been struggling with the decision to take our son out of a local Catholic school. First, some backgroud..My husband and I are both public school graduates and devoted Catholics. I have gone on to work in public education in several diffent aspects for the past 10 years.

Our son is just completing the First grade. Here is how the year has gone. I first learned that the first grade teacher had been moved from the 5th grade classroom and had never taught first grade before. I then learned that there are 33, yes, 33 students in his first grade class. Nothing against this woman; however, she was and continues to be totally overwhelmed! Furthermore, I learned that both Math and Reading are held in the afternoon.

After we spoke to several parents who felt the same as we did, we all decided to present our thoughts are the Parent/Teacher conferences. I requested to speak to the Principal as well as the teacher. To make this as short as I can, I'll just say that the teacher was excellent, she understood and also agreed with all our concerns. The Principal; however, was not. She explained that she is allowed to have 35 children in one class and will not add staff until the numbers go above that. Also, she denied that Math and Reading in the morning was that important. Now, this is totally contrary to all that I have ever learned.

The year has been long. This compiled with other incidents has made us take a long look at our son's education and we have decided that the financial burden is not worth the results we are experiencing. We have a strong faith and believe that we can and do share and teach our children our beliefs. The road of a public school (at least in our area) is a strong battle. Unfortunately, the Catholic schools must step to the plate. With the public education having the funds from state grants, subsities, etc, they are now able to keep the average K-4th grade classroom at a max of 23 students per class. Also, with technology on the rise, they are able to purchase and keep the students up to date. Educationally speaking, they are hard to beat in the big picture.

Now, I am troubled by the moral aspect, but at some point, when is it OUR job as parents to do what is necessary? We will do what we can to bring up his moral side and I feel that academically and extracurricularly, the public school will do theirs. As my mom and I disagree on this, we do agree that the key to this is parental involvement. It is our job to keep our nose in our kids education.

I think the decision about private VS public school has to be made for each child's needs and according to the quality of the education available at each type of school in your area. I've seen really excellent Catholic schools that beat public schools hands down. I've also seen really pitiful ones that weren't worth the money. Same with public schools. IMO, the principal of any school is the main factor. A good principal is worth their weight in gold.
That said, everyone (and I mean everyone) in my family has gone to Catholic school through high school. But last year, I decided to put my oldest daughter into the local public HS. She is a gifted student, and the Catholic HS just didn't have the programs available for students at her level. She is taking all honors classes and getting A's and loving it, because she is challenged intellectually. I fear she would be bored in the regular classes. Her school has about 2600 students, 760 freshman. She is #1 in her class so far. I was really scared to send her there at first, but she is doing extremely well.
It all depends on the child and the school.

Colleen,

I have been in your shoes! It was a hard decision to leave the Catholic grade school my daughter attended since kindergarten. First off, she was legacy: fourth generation. Secondly, it is in our neighborhood. However, the lack of leadership and communication was dismal! And you know the school has "issues" when it is the only private school in the city without a waiting list.

Kindergarten was so unchallenging and stuck in the 1970s. First grade was better, but at the end of the year the 2nd grade teacher left on maternity leave for the last 5 weeks. Instead of hiring a substitute teacher, they split the kids up between the other classrooms, gave them a packet of worksheets, and sat them in the corner to work independently. I was appaulled. Many parents voiced their concerns but the principal just poo-pood them. Then our 2nd grade teacher, who was moved from 6th grade because she couldn't handle that grade or the other ones she had been assigned to, just completely reviewed 1st grade. Total waste of the kid's time. After getting no where with talking with this teacher, I started looking at other private schools in the area. I found an excellent Catholic school in a nearby neighborhood and put my daughter on the waiting list. We endured the 3rd grade while waiting for an opening at the other school. Finally, last June the other school called. We immediately signed her up for 4th grade. She is now nearing the end of her fourth grade year. She has had so much better instruction and elective classes. The Principal at the new school is almost complete with her PH.D. She is great with the kids, awesome communicator, and we are blessed to have found this wonderful school.

Just an aside: we learned that the old school's principal was "released" from her position. Apparently the archdiocese finally caught on to the "issues" plaguing that school. That principal had been there since my daughter's father was a school boy.

Who said that all private schools were Catholic? I go to a Godless Private school and I enjoy it more than public. In my old public school there were some dangerous people, and they could not be expelled. People are suspended almost every day at my private school. I feel more confortable with people at my own acadimic level (and better) also in my old K-6 public several rules were directed toward the kindergardiners alone. We had to walk in a straight line at all times. At my private school they say just be there on time. That means that there can be socializing during classes and much more freedom. A Public shcool may be the best school in the world, but it will still not be able to strictly inforce things upon it's students.

Edward, I think it is great that you love your school. I must question why students would be suspended on a daily basis - that suggests that there are many behavioral issues at your school, too.

Thanks for responding here, and keep on writing and working on your spelling - practice is great to develop your skills, and the internet offers wonderful opportunities for that.

School is about to start and I can't sleep. We have 4 children, three of which are school aged. We send our children to a private, Lutheran school. We are not Lutheran, but we love the school. The academic part is excellent, but most importantly the fact that my kids have wonderful teachers who are teaching my children the same morals and values that I am teaching my children at home is such a comfort to me. I love the fact that they are going to school with like-minded families.

However, when one is sending 4 children to a private school, it becomes a bit overwhelming financially. We live in a very good school district. Our public elementary school is excellent - one of the top in the state. Our middle school is questionable, the scores are not that good as well as a number of the kids are pretty questionable. There are a lot of behavioral problems as well as some of the students are beginning to dabble in drugs,alcohol and sex. I know, that does happen in a private school as well, but not to the degree that it happens in a public school.

I also know that it is the family that matters the most. Many children do great at the public school. We have a very solid family. We attend church regularly and are in constant communication with our children.

I am stuck. I don't know what to do. I know a number of families that send their kids to the public school and they do not think twice about cussing in their homes, letting their kids go on the internet without supervision, letting them watch anything they want to on t.v... I feel like it will be very difficult for me to find other families that my children can play with that will have the same standards that I have.

On the other hand, I know that it is important for my children to stand up for what is right, good and just. They do that in the private school already, because it is not filled with perfect people. None of us are perfect.

I have been blabbing. If anyone has any advice for me. Please email me back. I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you

I'm sending my ds to a public Catholic school (we have a separate publicly-funded Catholic school system here). I get the Catholic instruction without the tuition fees. I really just chose it because we're in the district and none of the 3 schools in my area really stand out anyway (It's a low-income area and private school is out of the question on our income). I figure, whatever's lacking, can be provided outside of school. I don't think being in a Catholic school will close his eyes to diversity of cultures and religion. I attended Catholic schools almost exclusively and don't recall ever not being aware of all the different beliefs out there. Our society is just too multicultural for that (I'd have to keep my kids locked up at home and at school for them to not notice).

I am currently trying to choose between private and public schools. I want the best education for our daughter. The private schools have computers and teach spanish or french in pre-k. The public schools do not. How do I find out more about the schools standings. I know I can ask but I want to find out more than they know. I want to know so I can prepare to send her to the best. I live in Louisiana and the state is lacking in everything and education. Is there an internet site that will help me see how these schools rate????

Undoubtedly your state's public schools administer a state achievement test. Those scores are available--just call your county department of education, the school district office, or even the state department of education, which ought to have a web site. Private schools do not have to test their students, and they do not release test scores to the public if they do test students. Ask parents about the schools, and then visit them. Make an appointment to visit some classrooms.

Have you tried the Peterson guide? There is a guide for these private schools. Not all schools are included, I think it may just be the accredited ones. I would take a look.

Whether you choose public or private, the key is the amount of parental involvement in the school. Involved parents make a good school, period.

Scarlett is exactly right!!!

I don't think there is any black and white for this kind of a thing. I can't judge public schools elsewhere because the public schools here lack just about everything I want for my kids. I know this is not the case elsewhere just here. The public schools around here could care less if the kids learn and they just push them through.

Scarlett made an interesting point about parent involvement. This is 100% fact. The problem around here is that teen pregnancies are really high (I am not bashing young mothers as I am one myself) but There are three different low income housing units and each one feeds into one of the elementary schools. For the most part they are young, poor, did not pursue an education and they are just going to collect welfare. They also do not get involved with the kids schools- they just plop them on the bus and forget about them. These kids are raised with a lot of fighting, drinking, drugs, cussing etc so naturally after a while these kids develop behavioral problems amount other things. The teachers have to deal with all of these kids so they are unable to push education to the other kids. My daughter and my nephew are in the same grade but the difference is that (second grade) she can read books like "tales of fourth grade nothing, superfudge, The little house books etc" while he can maybe read 10-15 words.

The parents at my kids private school are all very much involved in their childs education. This can vary from place to place. I had friends move to Ohio and they are very disappointed in the private education their kids are getting and were considering moving them into the public school system as they felt it was better. (they never would have dreamed it here) I think it is a personal decision that would vary from place to place. :)

As a parent of a child in private school, I would say that the "quality" of education can vary greatly in a private school from year to year. This can be attributed to a new Headmaster, Board, or teacher. The key, no matter where your child is educated, is to be involved.

i'm a highschool student. since i was a lil kid, growing up until i finished grade eight, I was attending a public school. I was disciplined, taught well, respectful...etc. and then i changed boards and went to a catholic school mostly because my parents wanted me to go to it since it was closer to me. i'm in grade eleven now, and i'm still a good kid. I honestly didn't see a difference between catholic schools and public ones. they both seem the same. same kinds of people, seems like the same kind of teaching. it doesn't matter weather it's a public school or a catholic school. parents just need to understand that some public and catholic schools aren't good and some are good. parents just need to browse through schools. look at the kids in the classrooms. are they doing their work. Another thing to consider is that kids not only pick up their behavior at school, but at home too. so don't always blame the school. it might be the way parents talk to the kids too.

faintstar, you said it well.

Pittypat and Scarlett,
You are correct...... Parents stay involved with your children in all areas.......Grandparents too.

If you go to this link you'll see that Private schools (primarily Christian) only have a slight edge over Public schools: http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2006461 so it's unlikely that you'll see any advantage in the core subjects that are being taught even if you do choose the Private school path. Therefore, the more important question is not which school is going to make your child the smartest but rather - do you want your child to learn in a secular (focus is this-worldly) environment or in a religious (focus is other-worldly) environment? Your child will be a captive audience for about 6 hours a day - which environment is going to instill values that you deem important? I want my kids to be good, faithful servants of God FIRST (James 4:14) and excellent students second so as a Christian there is no question which path is right for my children. I want to steer my kids clear of the hostility towards their faith and the moral relativism that is product of our secular public schools. Theyll be exposed to plenty of that later.

I send my children to private Classical curriculum school and I love it. They learn to be devoted servants of GOD and can talk about him and his laws and commandments all day if they wish. The students pray with the teachers.

As long as we can afford it, I am prepared to go this route.

There is a good biblical scripture, "train up a child in the way he should go and he will not falter from it." (The like).
We teach this at home and they get it at school, so I trust that God knows what he is doing if we obey this teaching from God.

We send our two oldest to a local day/boarding private NE prep school. The school starts at grade 6, although both of ours started there in grade 8... OUr oldest did start in a Opus Dei catholic school for 6th grade... we are NOT catholic... she HATED it... it was girls only... the girls were down right nasty, and not only over religion... just down right nasty... so we moved her at the beginning of what would have been her third year out of public school... Our middle child stayed in public until this year, mailny due to a reading/learning disability which it took until last spring to finally get 'past' for the majority of his school effort...

This school they are at now costs in the vacinity of $25K per year for each of them as day students... tuition and fees only... it is a well known and regarded school. Yes this is a LOT of money to spend...but my children are with peers who want to learn and do well. Not all students there are AP or honors students, but each does their personal best to achieve... as long as they do their best effort, even if they suck, the kids support them (as opposed to being nasty to them).

The class sizes are small, the teachers KNOW their students and will call them at home or email them to see if they are doing alright or meet with them at 'extra help' time to prep them for upcomng quizzes and tests... The teachers CARE about how their students are performing. Weekly, I can go online and get up to date progress information, grades, and paragraphs of comments about my childrens performance subject by subject...

Our youngest (grade 4) is still in public school, but we fully anticiapte we will move her out at grade 6, assuming she is able to pass the entrance exam and interviews... if she WANTS to go, she'll pass the tests... the key thing they look for is interest in wanting to be in an environment with others who truely want to be there to learn.

I will tell you the difference between what my oldest child did in private school for grades 6 and 7 and my middle child did in publilc school for the same grades was night and day. Plus, in private schools, misbehavior and 'attitude' is not tolerated... and trust me, just knowing mon and/or dad will kill you if they toss you after spending that money is incentive NOT to cross lines...

Public schools teach to the middle of the pack where I live... I understand this is not always the case, but it is here... they spend alsmot the entire 1st semester reviewing the prior year, and then spend about 2 sememsters covering new work and then a semester wrapping up and reviewing the year, so they typically don't cover anywhere near the same amount of material that is covered in the private schools. Private high schools and even middle schools run much more like college, if you're in the class yor are expected to know the prerequisite material... there is not prior course review, you are expected to hit the ground running from day one in the fall... this is certainly a much better preparation for college in the years to come...

Plumbly, that education sounds very similar to the education my children are receiving at their Classical school, except it is a FREE public charter school. My 7th grader is taking Latin 4, Chemistry, Algebra I (some 7th graders are in geometry or algebra II), History, Geography, Literature, Composition, Music History and Music Theory, Art History and Band. Our school does not do any reviewing from previous semesters, either. In fact, our students are assigned summer reading materials to cover before returning to school in the fall, and the fall quarter begins by testing and writing essays on the summer assignments. They have a dress code of Khaki's and red, white or blue polos or sweaters. They have an after school "homework club" for students in need of help with their studies, and parents can access the gradebooks 24/7 online. The school uses the Socratic method for teaching most classes. It is grades K-12 and has been in the top 3 high schools in our state the last 5 years, and we have only been open for 7 years. 100% of our graduates the last two years have gone on to attend 4 year colleges. There really are some public schools out there that are meeting the needs of students.

dlynn...
IF we had a public school available to us that provided what we're paying for similar to what you have available, trust me our kids would be there... unfortunatley it's not nearby for us without paying for private... the public we have accessible by town or by 'choice' are just not up to par... I know they are out there... but they are not everywhere...

students have to want to learn... one of my daughter's best frineds has been sent to some of the best schools around (boarding too) at a small fortune in cost, but she does NOT apply herself... and thus is doing poorly... but having the time of her life socially... fortunately my daughter recognizes her friend does NOT work at school and comments on that.... how awful it is, can you believe!

I feel very fortunate to have found such a school. Just yesterday we were named #15 in US News & World Reports list of Top 100 public schools in the country, and #4 in the schools with open enrollment (we accept anyone, no testing for admission).

When my daughter was in elementary school we lived in a town that supposedly had an outstanding school system. I visited her first grade class because I felt she was having trouble with reading and found it to be an absolute zoo. All the way through 4th grade I kept telling them there was something wrong with her reading and they kept telling me "she's fine". Finally in 5th grade the teacher agreed with me and tested her. He found she did have a slight learning disability and took steps to help her. However, all along my daughter kept telling me she hated school and went from a very confident pre-schooler to an "I can't do it." child. I decided to keep her back a year and put her in a private school. After that I couldn't keep her home from school, and she just soared academically and in self confidence. We kept her in private school all the way through high school even though it was a financial burden. She ended up 3rd in her senior class and accepted at some very good private colleges with good financial aid packages. I now substitute teach in a fairly good public elementary school, but I would put her in private school all over again vs having her in this public school. The empahsis is on the children with problems and the bright ones can look after themselves. The result is that the bright ones get bored and end up in trouble. I am a big advocate of private school and hope to be able to help pay for my grandchildren to get a private school education.

i went to a christian private school until high school, and i absolutely loved it. small classrooms, behaved children. and we all made excellent and outstanding grades. as soon as i got in public school- it was a culture shock. big time. grades went down, and lots kids acting out. i didn't get much one on one time when i needed help. public schools were not for me. my kids did go to public school, just because private school was out of our budget 20 some years ago. i wish they could of had the experience that i did.

I am a NYS public school graduate and my kids go to public school. In Orange County, NY (where I grew up), almost all the kids went to public school. I think there was one child whose parents were ultra-religious in my Presbyterian Church that sent their child to the local Catholic school, but that was about it. Other than that, I knew a couple of kids that were behavior problems that got sent there to be "straightened out," whatever that was supposed to mean.

I actually like the cross-section that public school brings out--you have to learn to deal with all types in life and learn who to steer clear of and it does also create empathy. As a public high school teacher, I knew coming out of college, I was aiming for a job in a public school--ANY public school--over private school due to benefits and salary. The college classmates of mine who couldn't find jobs in public schools took jobs in private schools. I actually have three men in my department who started off in private schools and took jobs at my school a few years in.

I'm sure it depends on where you live, but as a teacher and parent, I am pro-public education all the way. My kids are doing phenomenally in a middle-of-the-pack district--why? Parent involvement with school as #1 priority. "Good" schools typically have families with high socio-economic levels and parents with higher education. Typically, these parents can afford the higher price tags on the homes and flock together. Money = private lessons of all sorts, health care, books, vacations, camps, etc.

We live in the district next to one of the highest ranked districts in NYS (rich!), and I've actually had friends move there just for the schools and then kick back on their laurels and expect the school to do all the educating. Well, folks--the heavy-lifting of education starts at home. Can't just enroll and then not do the day-to-day work.

I'm sure you will make the best choice for your child!!
Sarah in Albany, NY

I have a very alternative view to public VS. private school.

I am currently 18 and have attended both forms of schooling, and am currently in Home/Online Schooling.

For me, Public School was not an option. I found that bullies were slapped on the wrist and pushed back out on the playing field where they could do it again and again, and the cycle was never broken...many a times there were "anti-bully" movements at our school, but very few were actually effective in treating the issue...if they stopped in school, it'd pick back up out of school...
Many children in class were unwilling to pay attention and participate, and a long time was spent listening to them get lectured, instead of focusing on the curriculum.
Not a lot was accomplished in class so we were expected to use a great amount of out-of-school time to focus on school projects and get them completed...
I just wasn't happy. I also started hanging out with "the wrong crowd" and doing drugs and drinking under age, etc. Not every kid will do this, and if you stay on top of things and maintain good lines of communication and a FRIENDSHIP as well as a parent-child relationship with your children, you probably won't have an issue with this. My mom refused to see on an eye-to-eye level with me, and we had a very poor time getting along at home...my dad was always away at work so our relationship didn't account for much during my high school years.

The upside, however, was that I was able to socialize and engage in extracurricular activities such as volley ball and track and field.

Since joining online school, I have noticed that my grades are much higher...they make the courses so that anyone and everyone can understand them (so that they don't get a flood of questions every 10 minutes about different topics that are difficult to comprehend.) They provide online real-time tutoring, free of charge. There are still field trips for many of the distance education schools that help everyone get together and develop/enhance their social skills.

You work at your own pace (I finished a single grade in half the time it takes public school to finish...this is excellent since I am a 2x drop out it means I have the ability to catch up with my peers more quickly.) you set your own schedule...as long as you are doing 4hrs of work per day you will be on par with the public system. I do 6+ hours which means I am surpassing them...since I should've graduated last year I will not graduate before my peers at this point, but I will definitely not be too far behind...a year at most.

It really depends on the situation. I would say online schooling takes a lot of dedication, and if you are unable to supervise and ensure that work is getting done, public school would probably be a better bet. It is super easy for a student to say they are completing the work, when they in fact aren't. (Hence my second "drop out"....got kicked out of online school for not completing work in a timely manner...did nothing to re-enroll until recently.)

I think if you are home daily and have enough time to contribute and make sure that the work is being completed and they are grasping concepts, online/home schooling is excellent. I like that I can decide who I interact with and who I don't, I have time to manage a work life as well as my school life...I get the social skills I need out of my work life, as many of us know we often interact with people we both like and dislike throughout our work days.

Sorry this is so all over the place LOL, I'd edit through it but I am off to apply for a new job and need to get going . . .
Hopefully I got my point across about the pros & cons of both! Both are extremely beneficial It just hugely depends on your situation at hand.

OH another key point - if the kids are younger I think public school is definitely a good idea - it gives them a chance to establish a circle of friends and to learn how to interact in various positive and negative social situations, if they are too young to extract those experiences from a work life. :)

Big-10 University professor, here: just thought I'd weigh in on what happens after high school. Our most successful students are almost always either private/catholic grads or home-schoolers. Public school grads -- even those who arrive with honors high school GPAs -- tend to lack the fundamentals: they have trouble reading anything longer than two pages, they have almost no knowledge of basic world- or US history, they can't write a simple essay or construct a simple, rational argument, they are afraid of even elementary mathematics, and they have difficulty processing criticism (i.e., comments on written work are taken as personal insults). Yes, I'm generalizing, but I teach 300 students a year, and after a decade, certain patterns emerge. Skills matter, and public schools in general aren't teaching them.