<p>Excellent point, oldfort, and I agree. </p>
<p>I had to raise the question, though, because we’ve all seen the posts on CC from parents who are shocked and distressed by their EFCs.</p>
<p>As an advocate for public education as well as a public school teacher, I would like to chime in. First, it’s very difficult to judge a public school, especially high school, because there are so many layers involved. Public schools are charged with educating everyone that walks through its doors. </p>
<p>Our public school only sends 25% of its graduating class to 4 year colleges. That didn’t bother me because I knew without a doubt both of my own would be going to college (one is a college freshman this year). Personally, I was more concerned with the amount of honors and AP classes available. In many states hs students also have the option of taking classes at the community college for duel credit so this offeres even more options. You mentioned theater being stronger at the private school. Is the fine arts an interest or possible major? If its an interest and your daughter is talented, the public school may offer a better chance at bigger roles or opportunities to be involved in multiple groups. </p>
<p>Most high schools will have tours for the upcoming 8th graders from the feeder public schools. You should ask at your middle school if that happens. If not, call and ask for the chance to shadow a current freshman. Yes, private schools offer open houses for students and parents much like colleges. They have to market themselves. Still, there should be plenty of chances to get to know your public high school if you look around.</p>
<p>TheMom went to Catholic schools and my sense, reinforced by what I hear locally now, is that there’s not a one-description-fits-all, that you really have to evaluate the school on its individual merits, demerits, and quirks. Our Lady of Perpetual Hysteria will have a very different vibe than St. Enigma’s.</p>
<p>We explored the option of getting D into the K-8 school associated with our parish. Aside from the fact that they were inflexible about the September 1 birthdate (D’s is mid-September), there were enough cues that it would not have been an environment that made us comfortable. The principal has been there for decades and imho could very well have been a concentration camp guard in her youth.</p>
<p>One of the Catholic high schools in our town is well regarded but if you listen carefully, it’s not because of academic challenge but because all the students are kept “safe”…this in a community where physical safety really isn’t a problem and one suspects “safe from disturbing ideas” is part of the equation. Otoh, there are some other Catholic high schools further afield, single-sex, which are apparently very demanding academically.</p>
<p>One of my sisters in-law is the former president of St. Mary’s Academy in Denver and by all accounts that school is/was crackerjack. </p>
<p>Bottom line: YMMV.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for the replies. To answer a few questions - the public school sends over 50% to CC. Our community is working, middle class, so I do understand the effects of our demographics on that. Also, at this point, theater is a possible career interest, but she is also an honor student and has a passion for math and science. The public did have an orientation night, but when I called and spoke with a secretary, I was told that they don’t do shadow days. I’m about to call back to speak with someone else 
We are not wealthy, but could afford the Catholic school. All of your advice ia greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>*Will paying Catholic school tuition now undermine your ability to meet college expenses later? </p>
<p>It would seem rather counter-intuitive to pay for a high school that leads to a better college if you won’t be able to afford the better college. *</p>
<p>*I think the same could be said - what’s the point of having money for college if a child doesn’t have good foundation to excel in college. *</p>
<p>*I had to raise the question, though, because we’ve all seen the posts on CC from parents who are shocked and distressed by their EFCs. *</p>
<p>Good debate! </p>
<p>This is what we’ve noticed in our community. </p>
<p>There are some (few) that take the money that they would have spent on Catholic High school and save towards college.</p>
<p>Typically, that doesn’t happen. While we chose to skip more pricier vacations and such to pay tuition, our friends who chose public spent their money on nice cars for their kids, pricey summer camps, name-brand clothing, etc. When it was all said and done, they didn’t have that “tuition money” set aside for college.</p>
<p>My kids got into all of their schools. They both ended up choosing to go their financial safeties because of huge merit money and their future plans (they wanted to put our college $$ contribution towards med school and law school). They figured that they would rather graduate with less debt in the long run. </p>
<p>We feel that the money that we spent on their Catholic education has come right back to us in merit money. Does that always happen? No. But my younger son’s graduating class of 80 kids received over $6 million dollars in scholarship offers. Many received full tuition or more offers. Some took them, some didn’t.</p>
<p>I agree with those who have said that your decision should follow strength of academics. As oldfort said, I believe the foundation they get in high school is what will make them successful in college, no matter what college they go to.</p>
<p>Because of academic weaknesses in our current public school system, our decision became Catholic school (we are Catholic) or private school. The Catholic schools offered much more diversity racially and economically than did the pure privates in our area and academics that were comparable to the privates. Students were primarily Catholic but there were those of other faiths. The girls did attend a weekly Mass and four years of religion courses.</p>
<p>DD attended Catholic school all the way through. Financially, yes, I wish we could have saved the money and used it for college, but she would not have received the same academic rigor in the public schools here.</p>
<p>DD attended an all girl strong college prep Catholic school with neighboring all boy school where 99% go to 4 year college, most with significant merit funding. DD liked wearing the uniforms and not having to worry about her hair and appearance when she jumped out of bed during the week. Her school was big enough that she felt like everyone could find their own group of friends. </p>
<p>At the time, while DD enjoyed her school, she felt that it was more stress than need be due to so many honors and AP classes. However, now as a college senior, shes glad that she had that foundation because it made the adjustment to higher education so much easier and enabled her to go in with sophomore status, further allowing her to graduate with dual degrees in four years. She said recently that had she not been prepared as well, she could not have achieved in college what she has.</p>
<p>One thing I want to add to OP’s calculation is that the percentage of students attending 4 year colleges is not a meaningful measure of a school; it is a measure of the community’s demographics. My kids attended a large public high school where I imagine the percentage of 4-year college bound may have been even less than 40%. However, my kids were in all Honors and AP classes where 100% of the students ended up at 4-year colleges, many of them Ivies and other top tier institutions. Their academic experience at public school was excellent. Through their non-academic classes and extracurricular activities, they had social interactions with students of all stripes–I consider that to have been a very important element of their education.</p>
<p>On another note, D attended a private middle school where the students wore quasi-uniforms. It was amazing to me how some students managed to flaunt their wealth with designer handbags, shoes and jewelry, completely subverting the theoretical equalizing effect of the dress code.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Having a strong base of middle school friends makes a world of a difference - most people in my HS, anyway, stuck with their middle school crowd, maybe added a few here or there, but generally it was still a much more incubated environment where people you knew in class, people you knew in middle school were your main points of social contact. I’d say going into Catholic school not knowing anyone, she might even have a greater chance of falling into the wrong crowd. Or, she could be the kind of kid that will find the right crowd anywhere.</p></li>
<li><p>Classes available and kinds of people in those classes are most important. It’s not just a matter of how many APs there are. At my public HS, there were “review” classes, “regular” classes, “honors” classes, “gifted” classes AND “AP classes.” That meant that in freshman and sophomore year of HS, though there were not a lot of “AP” classes to take, I could still be in a class with students at the top of the pack. Most students don’t get really into APs until junior or even senior year, so making sure there are “gifted” classes for education before that point may be of concern.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>The only way for your D to be able to tell if the education is going to be of the quality she expects, is to sit in on a class - both an AP and whatever top “honors” class they offer would be useful. It’s not so much the quality of the lecture that matters, but what are the kids like? Are they asking smart questions? If everyone’s having a quiet day, how do they seem like in normal conversation? Intelligent, motivated? </p>
<p>I would say go public school, all the way, because college is challenging to pay for, no matter WHAT college is. But to be sure of that you’d have to know that your D would be in somewhat of a “bubble” of good, motivated students, separated from the rest of the school. I was in my public HS, but you’d have to check to see if that’s the case at yours.</p>
<p>OP, if you haven’t already, consider looking up both schools on greatschools dot net.</p>
<p>ETA: As with any info found on the internet, use it carefully.</p>
<p>Thanks again for all of the responses. I actually have researched both schools extensively. The public has more of a variety of different level classes. Diversity isn’t an issue. She is scheduled for some honors classes next year at the public, along with her close friends. Ugh, decisions, decisions!</p>
<p>We were public school people to the core. If you had told me ten years ago that my children would attend private high schools, I would have said you were crazy, yet here we are. DD graduated last year from a private (not Catholic) prep school and DS is a sophomore at the local Catholic high school. We had some terrible changes to our public schools, which sent us running. </p>
<p>Anyway, DS is bright, but goes to school mainly because his friends are there. One major difference I noticed is that half of our public school teachers have less than five years of experience. Most of them attended not very well respected schools in the region and encourage their students to continue the tradition. When the public school principals introduce new teachers, they are very proud to introduce new teachers who attended the local schools, local colleges, and now they are back. At the Catholic school, I would say most teachers have well over 15 years of experience and went to schools all over the country. DS’s earth science teacher went to Notre Dame (the university, not the teeny college here in Merry-land) and his English teacher went to Swarthmore. The teachers have been other places. </p>
<p>There are problems at both schools, but we are happy we made the Catholic school decision. It took our son a year to adjust, but now he seems pretty content. Best wishes with your decision.</p>
<p>Our children have had very good experiences in public school. My older daughter feels that she was well prepared for college, and has had no trouble holding her own with the students who attended private school. She also appreciates the diversity that she was exposed to at her public school. </p>
<p>What does your daughter want to do? There is something to be said for sticking with your neighborhood friends as you enter high school.</p>
<p>^ I think it depends on the quality of one’s public school choice. As a counter argument, our kids go to private and so their school friends live all over the place but they still get together on weekends and for events. But our kids also have close friends in the neighborhood. Its great for them to have two sets of friends (plus some others that are friends through other activities). More is better I say.</p>
<p>Thought I’d add another comment re my children and Catholic high schools. </p>
<p>The students came from every part of town and as a result my own children seemed to experience a much wider range of activity than neighbors that attended the local high school. I admit that sometimes - when I had to drive my unlicensed teen across town and then pick-up again later - it seemed a hassle. On the other hand, I heard friends complain that the local public school seemed somewhat of a “bubble” in itself. The public high school students that lived in the our particular neighborhood had attended school together since kindergarten. Weekend activities revolved in a limited radius around the high school - perhaps just going over to someone’s house around the block. Pros and cons again - just don’t assume that attending a Catholic or private school limits but rather can actually make someone stretch his/her wings a bit.</p>
<p>Check to see what the ratio is for students to guidance counselors, especially at the senior level. Our local public school has lots of great things, but the ratio is about 100 to 1. This, and the record of placing students in great colleges, is what pulled us into private (independent) school.</p>
<p>This is purely anecdotal “evidence,” but two people I’ve known who attended private high schools (neither Catholic, one a religiously affiliated school, the other not) said that there was a huge amount of “bad behavior” among the wealthier students because parental money could apparently ameliorate any punishment the school might have thought about handing out.</p>
<p>That said, this is, again, purely anecdotal, and most private (and public) school students are great kids.</p>
<p>I think that’s a bit cliche.</p>
<p>I currently attend a public high school, and have been doing so for the past four years. Despite my school’s dismal college attendance rate (~50%) and huge size (~3000), I rarely have come into contact with the students that could care less about school in general. I remember going to the Junior Trip meeting last year and not knowing 75% of the people there! I consider this a good thing, as the only exposure to the opposite-of-cc-kids crowd is in filler electives that I took instead of lunch. While statistics for the public school may look terrible, I suggest you ask students currently enrolled in the honors/IB/AP track about what students they are frequently exposed to. </p>
<p>Also, saving money is always quite awesome when the other factors seem equal. =)</p>
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<p>Perhaps, but it WAS true in both these cases, so much so that one girl applied to an early college program just to get out of the school (her parents refused to consider public schools).</p>
<p>Again, YMMV.</p>
<p>I attend a private Catholic school who wears uniforms and has smaller classes. I have issues with it (not a wide range of AP classes that I am interested in or ECs) but I have gone to Catholic school all my life. If you aren’t Catholic it is okay to send your daughter to a school that is. They won’t force the religion on you (but might have her take religion classes each year) and they are not prejudice between the Catholic and non-Catholic students. I have many friends who aren’t Catholic but do love the school. There are about 55 people in my senior class which decreases a lot of the drama and I can recognize every face. </p>
<p>Don’t be hesitant to send your kid to Catholic school unless you despise organized religion. They may pray every morning and go to mass once a week but it isn’t the education the more important thing?</p>