Applying to Parochial Schools
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Applying to Parochial Schools
Jan 2009
I was hoping someone could enlighten me on this:
How hard is it to get into Catholic primary schools if one is not
a member of the school's parish? (The schools I'm thinking of
specifically are School of the Madeleine and St. Jerome's.) I
have looked on their websites and I know that 1st dibs on
enrollment goes to parish members (understandable!). I was just
wondering what this translates to in real life. Is it very
difficult to matriculate if you are not a member of the parish?
Or, are lots of non-parish kids accepted?
FYI, my husband and I are 'culturally Catholic'... as in, our
respective families (especially grandmothers!) are Catholic, to
one degree or another. It's what we grew up with and 'what we
know', so we do not have a problem with Catholic instruction.
However, we've both moved away from the Church for various
reasons, and are somewhat hesitant to return formally (as in,
joining a parish). Thanks for any and all responses!
''Cafeteria Catholic''
From what I have heard,the two schools you mentioned have a
large non-catholic student population. You should not have any
problems getting in to them if you are not a parishioner. You
might try other schools (like Corpus Christi and St. Theresa)
too, the economy is having an impact on the number kindergarten
applications for next fall. It's worth a try, right?
-2 in Catholic School
At St. Jerome it won't make much difference, especially if you
aren't applying for Kindergarten. There is not a lot of
connection between the parish and school. Also, they don't have
a tuition difference between the groups... everyone pays the
same.
At the Madeleine being a parishioner can be more important
depending on the applicant pool. There are families at the
school that are non-Catholic and non-parish Catholics so you
wouldn't be alone in that.
had students at both
Our family attends St. Jerome. We are not catholic nor do we
belong to the parish. I believe the Oakland Diaosies is very
liberal when it comes to this requirement. St Jerome and the
Madeline are in my opinion very open although I am sure they
would love the parish membership. You should not have a problem
with the enrollment, as long as the parish does not have
families entering the grades you are looking at. And from what
I know, you should not have an issue as enrollment is down in
both schools from ''parish membership''. Good Luck they are both
good choices.
Kish
Nov 2006
Our daughter is applying to several high schools in the area,
all of which require an interview with the student. We are
curious as to how the interviews are structured, what kinds of
questions get asked, how many people are present.... Any
thoughts on this part of the process would be welcome. We're
curious as to what the schools hope to discover in the process.
We are also applying to the two Catholic high schools. I was
raised Catholic but am no longer practicing and my husband has
no religious background. I know both schools need non-Catholic
students (about 50%) to fill their schools and say they welcome
people of all faiths. Does anyone have a sense as to whether
applicants are prioritized according to religious influence
(i.e., are those applicants who belong to a church or temple
regarded more highly than those who do not; are lapsed Catholics
at the bottom of the list)? Our family likes what we've seen and
heard at the Catholic schools and feel it would be a good fit
but are worried that our lack of religious affiliation will be a
liability. Anecdotal experiences welcome.
Thanks
anonymous
My two daughters are the ultimate lapsed somethings (father lapsed
Catholic, mother lapsed Protestant) and are finishing up at St. Mary's
High School. I don't know if it affects admissions or not--I would
hope that practicing Catholics would get some preference after all--
but it definitely does not influence the school experience. The
students are diverse, from all kinds of backgrounds and religions, and
are generally nice kids. My daughters have had a wonderful experience.
My oldest loves her religion classes, because they discuss all kinds
of contemporary issues, and there is no attempt to force any Catholic
interpretation or decision--just lively discussions of right and
wrong, something I think is missing in many educational experiences.
They also study many different religions. She has developed a strong
interest in philosophy as a result. My daughters are very different
girls, but neither has had any bad experiences. Some teachers are
fantastic, others less so. The school is small and friendly, and
places emphasis on character as much as academics, though there are
some very challenging courses. In the interview, just tell your
daughter to be straightforward and friendly.
very lapsed
Conflicting admission test days for parochial schools
Nov 2001
My 8th grader is applying for private high school this year, and I was
wondering if anybody out there had experience with the application process
for parochial schools. It appears that the admissions test for Bishop
O'Dowd high school is held on the same day as several other parochial high
schools, but I am told that O'Dowd does not allow makeups and does not mail
the scores, although they require that O'Dowd applicants take the test AT
O'Dowd. Does anybody have any experience with this? Thanks,
Nancy
I researched this thoroughly just last Fall. My daughter took the main
(Saturday) testing date at O'Dowd, because your information is correct. (I
think they will forward their scores to other schools AFTER they have made
their admission decision, but that means your child would only be able to
get into other schools if slots were available.) However, Saint Mary's
gives the test on a second date (a Monday I think). They give priority to
students who take the test at St. Mary's on Sat, but plenty of kids who
take it on Monday get in--I know several. I know St. Mary's and Holy Names
are good about sharing scores with each other. Perhaps they will also share
with other schools. This approach worked fine for us; our child got into
all 3 schools. Feel free to contact me directly if you would like further
thoughts.
Barbara
My son applied to both Bishop O'Dowd and St. Mary's College High
School last year. Bishop O'Dowd and St. Mary's both give their
admission tests on the same day. You must take O'Dowd's test on the
day it is given, there are no make-ups, and it is true that even
though the tests administered at each school are exactly the same (so
I am told), O'Dowd will not share their scores with other parochial
schools. This is all very frustrating. Your only option is to take
St. Mary's test on the Monday after the weekend the admission test is
given at O'Dowd. There are only a limited number of "slots" available
for the Monday make-up test, so you have to apply early for this. But
here's the catch. If you choose to take the St. Mary's test on the
Monday make-up day, your child's application to St. Mary's will
automatically be given a lower priority than those of kids who took
the test on the primary test day the prior weekend. There's no way
around this. Even if your child gets a very high score in the St.
Mary's test, there is a very low possibility that St. Mary's will
accept your child. So you can take both tests, but in my experience
it's almost not worth it to jump through these hurdles. My son scored
scored very well on the parochial admission test (both times that he
took it) and his middle school tests and grades from a local private
school were excellent as were his teacher recommendations. Despite
all of this, he was not accepted at St. Mary's. He did, however, get
accepted to O'Dowd which was his first choice. The whole parochial
testing procedure is quite frustrating. Your chances of getting into
two competitive parochial high schools, I think, are very slim.
S.B.
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