North Shore Catholic schools (Chicago, Evanston: transfer, neighborhood, live in)

[efb]

Can anyone give me some input as to how to determine which are the better Catholic schools on the North Shore? GreatSchools.net does not usually put a rating number on them so I was wondering how everyone finds out which schools are considered the better ones? We are specifically looking at K-8 at the moment. High school is a "whole 'nother" decision!

thanks for any info!

[chet everett]

No one moves to the North Shore with the intent of utilizing the parochial schools.

For the folks that have long term commitment to their parish or other reasons for seeking out that option the experience can be more than adequate to prepare kids for a competitive Catholic High School like Loyola Academy but the top students at the best public schools can have some real advantages.

In terms of the level of parent involvement and feeling of community you really would be wise in spending time at the various parishes as there is whole "school - church centered" feel that you need to be comfortable with those aspects...

[rpsjr]

efb,

I don't have what I'd consider great insight to offer about area K-8 catholic schools but do have some general info based on friends' experiences, hoping it's helpful or at least a start.

I know there are kids who live in nearby towns who commute to these catholic schools, but I don't know any of those families. I only know families whose kids would go to New Trier public schools or Glenbrook N or S schools who choose to send their kids to catholic school.

As another poster implied, I think the catholic schools by their nature are more insular and more prone to developing their own unique identities. It seems a school could be great for one family and not satisfactory for another, with more such differences in perception than in public schools. Your mileage may vary, as the saying goes.

I have heard that each of the following schools has very good academics and extrcurriculars -- I'd say they all have to in order to compete in this area with the high emphasis on schooling quality.

These are the only catholic schools I know anything at all about, in no particular order:

Evanston -- St. Athanasius (St. A's); very good friends have all their kids there & absolutely love it.

Wilmette -- St. Xavier; next door neighbor sent all their kids there and can't say enough good things about it; they also really enjoy the parish/church community there and talk it up all the time.

Wilmette -- St. Joseph; I have heard very good things but also have friends who live one block away from this school but send their kids to St. A's because they strongly prefer it; go figure.

Winnetka -- Sacred Heart; good reputation, the only school in this list which was recognized by a local media outlet as one of the Top 25 private schools in the Chicago area, though that recognition was based on self-reporting by the schools & "expert" opinions, not standarized metrics; many private schools would not give their information so even the magazine admits the Top 25 grouping is not comprehensive.

Winnetka -- Sts. Faith Hope & Charity; good academic reputation, I have heard the parish called "liberal" among Catholics, but I couldn't say how it would compare to others in this list in that regard; active in social/political scene.

Glenview -- St. Catherine Laboure School; good reputation and school's families very enthusiastic about school.

Good Luck

[Anthera]

St. Joes in Wilmette has a large (or at least vocal) element of Opus Dei types. Lots of nice very down to earth families too, but there is an extreme Catholic element there.

[Paige65]

I don't know anything about these particular schools, but to add to your list:

Holy Cross in Deerfield
St. James in Highwood
St. Mary in Lake Forest

I live in HP and one of my neighbors sends her children to Sacred Heart in Winnetka. They are pleased with the school thus far.

[aliceandeva]

I have a Faith Hope grad thriving at New Trier, and two boys currently at Faith Hope in Winnetka. LOVE Mary Rehfield, the principal. Forward thinker, fair, great person in general. Doesn't care if your grandfather founded x,y,z corporation...treats all students the same.

The cons are- some classes are fairly small, and can have hockey cliques among the boys. Meaning if your son hasn't played since age 2, you are a bit out of the loop.

That being said, FHC has had a record number of kids transferring IN from Winnetka public schools the past several years. And my boys are very happy there. Including one with an IEP.

[Anthera]

Originally Posted by aliceandeva

I have a Faith Hope grad thriving at New Trier, and two boys currently at Faith Hope in Winnetka. LOVE Mary Rehfield, the principal. Forward thinker, fair, great person in general. Doesn't care if your grandfather founded x,y,z corporation...treats all students the same.

The cons are- some classes are fairly small, and can have hockey cliques among the boys. Meaning if your son hasn't played since age 2, you are a bit out of the loop.

That being said, FHC has had a record number of kids transferring IN from Winnetka public schools the past several years. And my boys are very happy there. Including one with an IEP.

Except for the blind kindergardener (with siblings attending and the family long time parish members)she told was unwanted at her school or the other children with minor disabilities she kicked out. All the families involved paid for their own accomodations. This was a big scandal at FHC last year.

If I recall correctly, several families appealed to the Cardinal. I know that a letter was sent to all FHC parish members by one of the families. I would not consider FHC for my child if they had any disability.

How heartbreaking it must be to be told by the principal of a school called "Faith Hope and Charity" that your blind 5 year old child was not welcome. Even if you paid for an aide yourself. How do you explain that to your other children?

[aliceandeva]

Originally Posted by Anthera

Except for the blind kindergardener (with siblings attending and the family long time parish members)she told was unwanted at her school or the other children with minor disabilities she kicked out. All the families involved paid for their own accomodations. This was a big scandal at FHC last year.

If I recall correctly, several families appealed to the Cardinal. I know that a letter was sent to all FHC parish members by one of the families. I would not consider FHC for my child if they had any disability.

How heartbreaking it must be to be told by the principal of a school called "Faith Hope and Charity" that your blind 5 year old child was not welcome. Even if you paid for an aide yourself. How do you explain that to your other children?

Um....not sure where you got your info. We have been at FHC for over 10 years, through the old principal who was running the place into the ground. About 7 years ago, over 70 children left the school. The enrollment now is at an all time high.

And I don't pay anything extra for my child with a learning disability.

Ugly rumor mongering is not kind or Christian. Catholic schools are usually not able to handle anything larger than a child's basic learning disabilities. Sad, but true. A friend who had a child with severe learning and some emotional problems pulled her child from FHC 4 years ago and he is now enrolled at a Winnetka public school. Her other children remain happily at FHC.

[Bogey]

In Evanston, we live in the neighborhood of Pope John school which is K - 8. Based on my interactions with kids who attend there, attending functions at the school, and knowing several parents of current students, it seems like an great Catholic school.

[Anthera]

Originally Posted by aliceandeva

Um....not sure where you got your info. We have been at FHC for over 10 years, through the old principal who was running the place into the ground. About 7 years ago, over 70 children left the school. The enrollment now is at an all time high.

And I don't pay anything extra for my child with a learning disability.

Ugly rumor mongering is not kind or Christian. Catholic schools are usually not able to handle anything larger than a child's basic learning disabilities. Sad, but true. A friend who had a child with severe learning and some emotional problems pulled her child from FHC 4 years ago and he is now enrolled at a Winnetka public school. Her other children remain happily at FHC.

I've lived in the area far longer than ten years. This happened almost two years ago.

There were children at FHC who had private aides paid for by the parents. The principal told those children not to return and also denied admittance to a blind kindergarden child whose siblings were current students. The parents had offered to pay for an aide themselves.

While this information is indeed ugly it is not a rumor. It is fact. I personally know two of the families whose children were kicked out by your principal. I saw the letter one set of parents sent to the parish membership. I know for a fact which families made personal appeals to the Cardinal. This issue was discussed far and wide in the Winnetka community.

I would have expected much more compassion from a principal whose own husband uses a wheelchair (although I don't know if he uses it all the time, he certainly was in a wheelchair when I've seen him at the FHC school events such as the TAP).

It is also neither kind nor Christian of you to name call if you don't know your facts. Although I don't know how you couldn't know about this.