Catholic School vs Public School

[Allegra]

I think it depends on the quality of the Catholic school. I would never send my children to my local parish school. I didn’t even attend the school myself, though my older siblings did. The hypocracy, elitism, and downright meaness that was the norm amongst my siblings’ classmates and their families was enough to keep me away from the Church for the better part of a decade. None of my older siblings are Catholic as adults. I firmly believe that the experience at that school had a huge part in ruining their faith. There is nothing spiritual or traditional about most Catholic schools in my area. It is about keeping your kids surrounded with the “right” people. (upper middle class and white)

 

[kmuestwin]

Without knowing your options, its hard to say.

There are some really great, academically sound Catholic and public schools in the world. Try and get information on the class sizes, test scores and ratings for both schools. Talk to local school administration and get a clue where their educational values are.

Look into how “Catholic” the Catholic school is. I think it would almost be better to send a child to a public school that completely ignores faith than a Catholic school that doesn’t support the faith or gives a lukewarm presentation of it.

Also, consider your and your wife’s ability to adequately instruct the faith to a child. Would you be able to educate your child on the mysteries of our faith or is there an alternative like Sunday school that could bolster yours and your child’s knowledge of the Church’s teachings?

There’s a lot to consider and the first posters who responded were right when they said that you need to really pray about it and figure out what you feel both schools can offer your children. Weigh your options carefully this is a really tough one!

This is a big decision but it’s not one you have to stick with forever. If you are unhappy with the education your child is receiving then just move them between school years.

One poster said that it would be a good idea to move a child from public school from grade five to eight. I would agree with that sentiment. When I was in middle school, that was when it seemed like everyone was fighting everyone else. Girls and guys were learning about sex and making bad decisions and kids were becoming teenagers. Middle school is tough and it might be a good idea to reinforce your child’s religious beliefs during that difficult transitional period in their life.

 

[PietroPaolo]

Thanks again for all the insight. My wife and I definitely feel that we can impart a strong understanding of the Faith to the kids ourselves, but we worry about the public school working against us. We live in Pittsburgh, so we are not in quite the same spot as some of the posters living in Mass or Cali, but the public school system is apathetic or worse when it comes to the Holy Faith and I assume things will be getting worse as the gay “marriage” agenda advances across the country. I’m also concerned that by sending the kids to the public school they’d end up with most (or even all) of their friends being non-Catholic, which, while not a bad thing in itself, might dampen their love for the Faith. On the other hand, our parish school isn’t uber-orthodox (no daily, or even weekly Mass) although it is very strong academically and won’t present a hostile environment to the Church. I suppose we’ll have to continue to pray on this. Thanks again for all the comments!

 

[llenadegracia]

Thanks again for all the insight. My wife and I definitely feel that we can impart a strong understanding of the Faith to the kids ourselves, but we worry about the public school working against us. We live in Pittsburgh, so we are not in quite the same spot as some of the posters living in Mass or Cali, but the public school system is apathetic or worse when it comes to the Holy Faith and I assume things will be getting worse as the gay “marriage” agenda advances across the country. I’m also concerned that by sending the kids to the public school they’d end up with most (or even all) of their friends being non-Catholic, which, while not a bad thing in itself, might dampen their love for the Faith. On the other hand, our parish school isn’t uber-orthodox (no daily, or even weekly Mass) although it is very strong academically and won’t present a hostile environment to the Church. I suppose we’ll have to continue to pray on this. Thanks again for all the comments!

Hmmm. Just be careful. Sometimes a Catholic school may not necessarily be a “hostile environment to the Church” but doesn’t necessarily create a welcoming or character-nuturing environment either. I think it’s also really to look at what school would teach your kids better morals and shape their character.

Growing up, I attended both Catholic and public school. Was my public school supportive of the Church? Of course not. But was it supportive of shaping productive citizens and encouraging character growth and development? Absolutely.

My city has roughly 50%+ living on government aid. I live in a suburb of a major city. The Catholic schools in the city I live in attract the upper end of the population who can afford to send their kids there. I was on financial aid and grew up attending cheap community dinners various churches supplied and being thrilled when I finally got a new pair of shoes that fit my growing feet after waiting for sometimes months…but nobody else in my Catholic school ever understood what a *life of service *meant. There was a food drive roughly once a month or every other month and that was it.

When I finally switched to public school, it was a different world. Yes, in some ways it was because the majority of students came from similar backgrounds. But it was also because the school pushed service and character building so so much. Obviously, the details of “Catholic morals” so to speak, weren’t taught. There was no teaching on pre-marital sex…but there was an immense emphasis on loving your neighbor and serving your neighbor. Heck, not everyone even had running water! But yet the school did manage to perform at the highest possible academic level. I really think it’s because they emphasized so so much on teaching good morals to kids. Every homeroom planned and carried out their own service project each year. The district does this K-12. Every sports team, club, and school-affiliated organization must have a service-orientated aspect. Nobody ever complained about this because the culture of the school was simply to serve other people.

Now does that mean all the kids who went to Catholic school never got to experience and learn these lessons? No. Nor does it mean that all the public school alum went on to be leaders of the world. My friends who went to Catholic school? They’re great people! Don’t get me wrong. But there’s a few life lessons they just never quite have grasped. In many ways, I missed out too. I missed out on going to Mass with my classmates and getting to talk about God and just learning about the Church in school. But I would still go back and go to public school if I had to do it all over again. I just don’t think I would be the life-of-service oriented young woman I am today. I think I would have ended up with many of my friends who attended Catholic school who believe service is a once-a-month obligation-only kind of thing.

Additionally, public school was an awesome way for me to grow in my faith! I was asked so many questions about why Catholics believe or do something - it was great because it made me motivated to learn the answers and then evangelize to my friends. I had numerous people ask me if the Eucharist was the name of a band! On a sad note, I have a few friends who attended Catholic school k-12 (and attend Mass every Sunday!) who managed to graduate at the end of high school and still not know anything about True Presense. Recently I had a friend who attended Catholic school k-12 mispell the word Catholic…I was proofreading something for her and told her the spelling was off and she said she’s been spelling it wrong her whole life…yikes! Obviously, not all teaching-of-faith responsibility falls on the family…but man…not to be able to spell the word Catholic…yikes!

To close this…I would like to say that it really just depends on the school. Not all public schools are like the ones I mentioned, nor are all Catholic schools like the ones I mentioned. There are some great public schools out there, but there are some bad ones too. There are some great Catholic schools out there, but there are also some bad ones too. Hope that makes sense.

Ultimately, I agree with this pervious poster said and cannot stress this enough:

There’s nothing wrong with public school. Going to public school isn’t going to turn your kids into atheists just like going to Catholic school isn’t going to turn them into saints. There are many kids who come out of Catholic schools as unbelievers. The most important thing is the parents involvement and teaching in the children’s faith formation.

I’m not advocating one or the other, but don’t make the choice solely on the idea that putting them in Catholic school will make them religious while putting them in public school won’t because one doesn’t necessarily lead to the other.

 

[lifeisbeautiful]

This is what canon law says (among other things):

Can. 798 Parents are to entrust their children to those schools which provide a Catholic education. If they are unable to do this, they are obliged to take care that suitable Catholic education is provided for their children outside the schools.

and also

Can. 803 §1. A Catholic school is understood as one which a competent ecclesiastical authority or a public ecclesiastical juridic person directs or which ecclesiastical authority recognizes as such through a written document.

§2. The instruction and education in a Catholic school must be grounded in the principles of Catholic doctrine; teachers are to be outstanding in correct doctrine and integrity of life.

§3. Even if it is in fact Catholic, no school is to bear the name Catholic school without the consent of competent ecclesiastical authority.

If you are unable, you are unable; you do not need to impoverish your family to make tuition to a school that is beyond your means. If the Catholic schools available to you are affordable but, unfortunately are not only but nominally Catholic but in fact pose a danger of undermining your child’s formation as a Catholic, then it would be fair to conclude that those schools, in spite of their stated reason for existence, do not “provide a Catholic education”, and therefore must, in good conscience, be avoided.

If a Catholic school is available to which you cannot object to on the terms above, then as canon law reads, you ought to send your children there. What “object to on those terms” means is something for the parents to discern, however. I am not proposing to be an expert on where the boundaries are, only to point out that the boundaries are there in canon law to be taken into account: vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P2N.HTM

PS Homeschooling, if done according to the directions of the parents’ bishop, would qualify as a Catholic school. If the bishop says, “this is a Catholic school”, then it is a Catholic school, even if school is conducted at the parents’ kitchen table. The parents do have a responsibility to ensure that the education they are providing at home has the consent of the competent ecclesiastical authority, however.

I, too, agree with the posters that mentioned looking into what type of scholarships, help etc there are available out there. Often schools will have some sort of help, even if it is just lowering the tuition for each subsequent child.

 

[EasterJoy]

I, too, agree with the posters that mentioned looking into what type of scholarships, help etc there are available out there. Often schools will have some sort of help, even if it is just lowering the tuition for each subsequent child.

It is also fair, when asking if a Catholic school is truly Catholic, to ask oneself if going to the public school would not be leaving the frying pan to leap into the fire. One thing that hasn’t been mentioned is to ask those in your parish who prepare students for confirmation what the difference is between students at the Catholic school and students coming in from the public school. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, after all. If there are excellent confirmation candidates coming from either direction, it is worth asking the parents of those students for their take on the local education systems.

Also, find out how many from each actually do get confirmed. I wish it were true that 100% of the possible candidates sought the Sacrament of Confirmation, but alas, it is not so. There are Catholic high schools where the administration seems more concerned about the rate at which their graduates gain college degrees than the rate at which their Catholic graduates (60-80% of the student body) sought confirmation while still in high school. That is telling, don’t you think?

 

[lifeisbeautiful]

**It is also fair, when asking if a Catholic school is truly Catholic, to ask oneself if going to the public school would not be leaving the frying pan to leap into the fire. **One thing that hasn’t been mentioned is to ask those in your parish who prepare students for confirmation what the difference is between students at the Catholic school and students coming in from the public school. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, after all. If there are excellent confirmation candidates coming from either direction, it is worth asking the parents of those students for their take on the local education systems.

Also, find out how many from each actually do get confirmed. I wish it were true that 100% of the possible candidates sought the Sacrament of Confirmation, but alas, it is not so. There are Catholic high schools where the administration seems more concerned about the rate at which their graduates gain college degrees than the rate at which their Catholic graduates (60-80% of the student body) sought confirmation while still in high school. That is telling, don’t you think?

Agreed, especially the bolded part.

 

[EasterJoy]

Agreed, especially the bolded part.

I fear there are some places where a Catholic in a public school is given room to act like a traditional Catholic, even if things aren’t made easy for them, where the same Catholic in the Catholic school is treated as if they were from some weird oppressive cult because they want to adhere to the faith as it is taught by Rome. It is possible for a nominally Catholic school to do more (I mean in practice, not in intent) to cool faith and encourage in-house apostasy than even a hostile public school environment would do, because the persecutions are coming from people who pride themselves on being thoroughly Catholic.

 

[lifeisbeautiful]

I fear there are some places where a Catholic in a public school is given room to act like a traditional Catholic, even if things aren’t made easy for them, where the same Catholic in the Catholic school is treated as if they were from some weird oppressive cult because they want to adhere to the faith as it is taught by Rome. It is possible for a nominally Catholic school to do more (I mean in practice, not in intent) to cool faith and encourage in-house apostasy than even a hostile public school environment would do, because the persecutions are coming from people who pride themselves on being thoroughly Catholic.

Then there is also the case where a Catholic school isn’t that great in teaching of the faith, but doesn’t go against it and is more neutral and at least is supportive of what parents teach at home, vs a public school that has been mandated to push agendas that are clearly anti-Catholic.

 

[MHT32]

Its a hard choice. I went to both and go to a public school now. I got a great education from K-8 at the local Catholic school and I’m one of the smartest in my grade. I think its a good idea to send them to a Catholic middle school atleast, it got me prepared and ready for high school. People complain about the lack of religion in public schools, which is very true. But exposing a secular environment kinda helps strengthen one’s faith

 

[robwar]

I have a unique prespective in having experiences in both Catholic and charter public schools. Catholic schools will offer a more orderly, disciplined environment. Likewise, most of the Catholic schools I know do use phonics to teach reading while the public schools necessarily don’t. i wouldn’t worry about HS yet and as one poster said take it a year (or few) at a time. I mention the phonics because since you have very young children, you should look at what and how they are teaching beginning reading and math and those are the first issues you are going to deal with in young children. Likewise, look the the kindergarden and make sure that it is academically based and all day, not a quasi-play preschool. Likewise and obviously, a Catholic school will offer pray in morning and close (or they should), Mass attendance, Holy day attendance, confession twice a year. those things you do not get in a public school. The biggest drawback I had (at least with the one elementary school) is that Catholic schools are not always the best in dealing with special need children or children that need help and are behind or the reverse are very advanced.
As one poster alluded to, I did find the elementary Catholic school played favorites and had too much nepotism. The HS experience my son’s had has been the opposite of the elementary, teachers very helpful, school went out of its way for special needs, less favoritism. On the positive, the Catholic school did have a family atmosphere among the children and parents. You also should check on what type of volunteerism the school requires since many do ask for a number of hour of the families. Even with a bad experience, I still believe and support Catholic education and don’t regrete sending our son’s all the way through.

 

[PietroPaolo]

I fear there are some places where a Catholic in a public school is given room to act like a traditional Catholic, even if things aren’t made easy for them, where the same Catholic in the Catholic school is treated as if they were from some weird oppressive cult because they want to adhere to the faith as it is taught by Rome. It is possible for a nominally Catholic school to do more (I mean in practice, not in intent) to cool faith and encourage in-house apostasy than even a hostile public school environment would do, because the persecutions are coming from people who pride themselves on being thoroughly Catholic.

I worry about this as well. Our parish school is strong academically (as is our public school), but I worry about how Catholic it really is. Defending misrepresentations of the Faith from a public school seems easier than doing the same with a Catholic school. I know our school doesn’t require daily or weekly Mass and the principal is a habit-less sister, but I’m also aware of at least 2 recent vocations to the priesthood coming from former students. Unfortunately, the sign up for kindergarten is only a week away, even though school won’t start for several months!

 

[Em_in_FL]

I guess it really just depends on your particular schools and the area where you live…

Our goal is to continue Catholic School through Elementary and Middle school… to set the foundation in the faith and to reinforce what’s being taught at home.
However, along with the much-higher cost of Catholic High School, I am actually very motivated to have my kids go to Public High School for other reasons. I think it’s important for my kids to be exposed to more “real life” situations, so that they’re able to defend the faith in the public forum… at least while they’re still under our parental care at home before leaving for college. Yes, I want them “exposed to the world” at that point in their lives.

 

[Angel_Gabriel]

I think it depends on the quality of the Catholic school. I would never send my children to my local parish school. I didn’t even attend the school myself, though my older siblings did. The hypocracy, elitism, and downright meaness that was the norm amongst my siblings’ classmates and their families was enough to keep me away from the Church for the better part of a decade. None of my older siblings are Catholic as adults. I firmly believe that the experience at that school had a huge part in ruining their faith. There is nothing spiritual or traditional about most Catholic schools in my area. It is about keeping your kids surrounded with the “right” people. (upper middle class and white)

^^^This!

My experience is slightly similar. My younger brother and I both went to Catholic school from K–8 and then on to one of the Catholic high schools in this area. Looking back, there are very few people who I know who came out of the high school and actually practice their faith. My brother doesn’t. What matters most is how the parents involve their children in their church and how they live their faith at home. People I know who have gone to public school but who have had good home lives most often stick with their faith (whether Catholic or otherwise).

Our catholic high schools(and to a lesser extent the grade schools) are full of hypocrites and truly the stuff that goes on there is the same that goes on at the public high schools…drinking parties, drugs, teen pregnancies etc.

My DH and I have chosen to send our kids to the local public school which is a decent school and is more equipped financially and otherwise to deal with children who have special needs or learning disabilities (my 2 older kids have these issues.) There is also an excellent Montessori pre-k and Kindergarten then a 1-8 school here…it’s the only 1 in Indiana and there is always a huge waiting list to get into it. There are great public schools in our district and there are bad ones…it depends on where you live and what the school is (Montessori, Magnet etc). There is also the option to attend any school you want provided there is an opening. The other districts in our area are also pretty good.

 

[PietroPaolo]

I guess it really just depends on your particular schools and the area where you live…

Our goal is to continue Catholic School through Elementary and Middle school… to set the foundation in the faith and to reinforce what’s being taught at home.
However, along with the much-higher cost of Catholic High School, I am actually very motivated to have my kids go to Public High School for other reasons. I think it’s important for my kids to be exposed to more “real life” situations, so that they’re able to defend the faith in the public forum… at least while they’re still under our parental care at home before leaving for college. Yes, I want them “exposed to the world” at that point in their lives.

Yeah, I’ve thought about that and have come to the same conclusions about public HS. Better to have them experience a secular environment while still directly under our guidance than when they are off to college.

 

[ndeparis88]

Yeah, I’ve thought about that and have come to the same conclusions about public HS. Better to have them experience a secular environment while still directly under our guidance than when they are off to college.

Still the secular college environment is still way different than the secular high school environment. Seeing discipline at home and at school will go a long way in keeping them from just getting lost in the tide in public school.

 

[liturgyluver]

Good luck with this very difficult decision. In England we don’t have to pay fees to send our children to Catholic (or Church of England) schools as they receive almost all their running costs from the state and are called Voluntary aided schools. They account for 20% of all schools and generally, but not exclusively, obtain higher academic standards than the standard state run schools.

 

[EasterJoy]

I worry about this as well. Our parish school is strong academically (as is our public school), but I worry about how Catholic it really is. Defending misrepresentations of the Faith from a public school seems easier than doing the same with a Catholic school. I know our school doesn’t require daily or weekly Mass and the principal is a habit-less sister, but I’m also aware of at least 2 recent vocations to the priesthood coming from former students. Unfortunately, the sign up for kindergarten is only a week away, even though school won’t start for several months!

There are a lot of religious congregations that gave up their habits as a congregation, and there was not a thing the individual sisters could do about it. In some areas, there aren’t local convents to join that have both the teaching charism and an obvious habit. What is a woman with a vocation to be a teaching sister to do? She probably joins the teaching order and decides not to worry about the clothes. As long as she would be willing to be obedient to what her order does, I would let that go. If there are vocations to the priesthood coming out of her grade school, that is a very good sign.

There are even priests and religious (not to mention lay teachers) who have personal views in opposition to the Church but who bite their tongues about it and teach only what the Church teaches, injecting nothing of their personal views into it. As long as you have that obedience in the faculty and staff, you still have a Catholic school. None of us, after all, could call ourselves “Catholic” if judged by the light of what we were tempted to have done, but didn’t do. The proof of the pudding is in what the children actually come away with.

Besides, the problem I am speaking of comes as much from the attitudes of other families as from the faculty and staff. If the “leader cliques” condemn those who are “too Catholic” and the school does nothing to combat that, that is a red flag. A Catholic school, after all, has to be a place where it is as safe as possible to be openly Catholic!

 

[robwar]

I guess it really just depends on your particular schools and the area where you live…

Our goal is to continue Catholic School through Elementary and Middle school… to set the foundation in the faith and to reinforce what’s being taught at home.
However, along with the much-higher cost of Catholic High School, I am actually very motivated to have my kids go to Public High School for other reasons. I think it’s important for my kids to be exposed to more “real life” situations, so that they’re able to defend the faith in the public forum… at least while they’re still under our parental care at home before leaving for college. Yes, I want them “exposed to the world” at that point in their lives.

Of those families I’ve known that had children that went Catholic k-8 then transferred to a public HS, the biggest struggle they have had was adjusting from a small group of kids to large class A HS where the kids feel lost for a while. It can be quite the shock and adjustment and struggle. Likewise, there is a shock of what kids do wear in public HS and it is not all very modest. Now maybe you live near a smaller HS but most seem to be class A or B at least where I live. Of the families that had a better adjustment to public HS had one or two things, the children enrolled in a smaller charter HS or enrolled in an specialized advanced class program both of which are smaller. You have to do what is best for your children and there is no right or wrong. Whatever you do, it is always wise to have your child spend a day at any school and see if they would feel it is the right fit for them.

 

[sdeco]

I can’t tell you what to do, but I will say that I attended public schools all my life and NEVER left the Catholic faith. I really, truly believe that the method of education - public school, Catholic school, homeschooling, etc. - makes little difference in whether or not kids stay Catholic as adults. I have seen no correlation at all between what type of school kids go to and whether or not they remain Catholic. What really matters is what they are taught at home, and what their parents model for them.

I never felt like public schools were hostile towards my faith. If anything, they bend over backwards to not offend anyone about anything. We send our kids to public schools – the same school system my husband and I graduated from – and have no problem with the schools at all.

I would have to go back to work full-time in order to afford Catholic school, which would make me extremely stressed and a much worse mother. It would absolutely not be worth it, and would probably make my kids less likely to hold on to their faith as adults.