N. Ky - Boone Co vs Catholic schools (Hebron: college, living in)

[RudyBird]

Hi! Our oldest child is 4 and my husband and I are discussing whether to send her to Boone County schools or a nearby Catholic school. She has one more year of preschool so we have a little time to figure it out. She's our oldest child (we're expecting our 3rd in Sept) so I just want to make sure I'm asking the right questions! We'll definitely go on tours, etc in the Fall but I thought I'd get the ball rolling now!

I went to Catholic schools and would love for my children to go to something similar. I love the faith environment and the uniforms (less to deal with in the morning! My daughter and I are already fighting over clothes for preschool!). My Catholic school was very good and I felt that it prepared me well for high school. However, with 3 kids, tuition costs are definitely a consideration!

We are living in Boone County (Hebron) and our children would attend North Pointe Elementary. We've heard nothing but great things about this school. Does anyone have children that attend North Pointe, Conner Middle, or Conner HS? What are your opinions about the teachers and teaching methods, specifically for reading and math? Are there strict dress codes? Are children well behaved and being prepared well for college?

We are also considering Immaculate Heart of Mary School. It was a Blue Ribbon school about 10 years ago. However, they're having some financial problems and we have some concerns. Does anyone have children that attend here? Is the quality of education decreasing? Thoughts?

Mary Queen of Heaven in Erlanger might also be a possiblity too. However, they don't have bus service out here. But I'm not opposed to driving the kids if it's a great school. Any opinions about this school?

Does anyone have any suggestions about how to compare public to private schools in general? My husband loves greatschools.org but they don't give values to private schools. I'm sure it's a good starting place but I know it's not a perfect source of information.

Thanks so much!

[jlawrence01]

Since you have a year, go visit the schools to see what you think of the facilities. Most schools will allow you to sit in.

One other thought. Generally, you attend the school affiliated with the parish you attend as the parishes quite often subsidize the schools. If you attend out of parish, often the tuition is greater as you make up the subsidy.

[RudyBird]

Thanks, jlawrence01. Parishioners definitely get a reduced tuition if they are active members. We might consider attending a difference parish if we decide on a different parochial school. We've only been in the area a little over a year and haven't gotten too involved in our current parish yet.

We will definitely visit the schools in person once school starts back up. It will be a while since the school kids just started summer vacation though