Catholic Schools...which areas? (Dallas, Plano: low crime, university, closing)

[Livindoll]

Hey everyone...I'd like to continue to send my kids to Catholic School in Texas...we are considering Plano or Colleyville...mostly because of the excellent public schools...but if we aren't going to use the public schools, then which area around Dallas would be the best to live in...nice family areas? low crime? Affordable housing...4 beds, one floor, pool...around 250k-300k...and low taxes.

I know it's a tall order...any suggestions? Which Catholic schools are the best with no waiting lists?

Thanks!

[Dazed]

Originally Posted by Livindoll

Hey everyone...I'd like to continue to send my kids to Catholic School in Texas...we are considering Plano or Colleyville...mostly because of the excellent public schools...but if we aren't going to use the public schools, then which area around Dallas would be the best to live in...nice family areas? low crime? Affordable housing...4 beds, one floor, pool...around 250k-300k...and low taxes.

I know it's a tall order...any suggestions? Which Catholic schools are the best with no waiting lists?

Thanks!

Best that I know in that area is All Saints Catholic School. I don't know about the waiting list though.

[khfar]

I went to St. Thomas Aquinas, in Lakewood. Loved it. Most kids either go to BL, Jesuit, Ursuline, or...WOODROW! But seriously, Jesuit and Ursuline are some of the best Catholic High Schools in the area. I went to Woodrow, but I had a lot of friends that went to Ursuline and Jesuit. We all got into the same colleges.

[foma]

My roomate from college went to Nolan High School. She's pretty normal and was quite smart! I don't know much about it but she seemed to have liked it.

[ChristieP]

As mentioned, Ursuline and Jesuit are great. There is also Cistercian in Irving. Plano has the new Pope John Paul High School. The only other co-ed Catholic High Schools in the Dallas area are Bisop Dunne in Oak Cliff (which the diocese has debated closing because it is so under capacity) and Bishop Lynch in East Dallas. So, if you are looking to send your kids all the way through, keep in mind that the high schools are limited.

[JohnPaulIIStudent]

For Catholic elementary and high schools, and affordable housing, Plano offers the perfect trifecta.

For grades K-8, Plano offers two options St. Mark the Evangelist or Prince of Peace. Both are excellent and offer solid faith formation and academics.

For high school, John Paul II (also in Plano) is certainly superior to other Catholic high schools in the Dallas area. Being only 3 years old, JP2 has done a successful job recruiting students (and teachers) away from Jesuit, Ursuline, Bishop Dunne, Bishop Lynch, and the successful Plano high schools. As many other Catholic high schools in the area struggle with adjusting to the 21st century, JP2 has the technological and academic advantages to propel it far into the future. (johnpauliihs.org)

[FarNorthDallas]

You can get a lot of bang for your buck at St. Paul Catholic School in Richardson (near Spring Valley and Hwy 75). It seems to be a bit cheaper than the other Catholic schools.

St. Rita near LBJ and the tollway will almost always have a waiting list.

I don't know about All Saints (off Coit in Plano). The last I heard it was underenrolled because they built a new building a few years ago. All Saints church is actually in Dallas several miles from the school.

St. Monicas is where Bill Gates' wife Melinda went to before she went on to Ursuline. It's in North Dallas, very big, about 800 kids. You can sometimes get into there late.

Both of Plano's schools, mentioned above, are great.

East Richardson has another one called St. Josephs that I hear good things about.

There is one in Lake Highlands called St. Patricks that just about doubled its tuition this year because they have so many applicants. I know other kids whose parents took them out of that school because they were not happy with it.

The new Pope John High School is getting great reviews despite being way way underenrolled. They have capacity for 1200 and have like 575 now in its 3rd year. They anticipated more kids. The offer bus service over to St. Rita so I guess some parents can pick up their kids there.

Bishop Lynch High School in East Dallas also offers bus service out to North Dallas and other places. Bishop Lynch is a big popular co-ed high school. They will also accept some kids with learning disabilites. They will modify some for them.

Cistercian is an independent all boys school. Very hard to get into. They want scholar-athletes.

The Highlands School is a Legionnaire of Christ run school. Easy to get into, I hear. Lovely campus. You don't even realize you are in Irving when you are there - trees, hills. It's on The University of Dallas' campus (but separated) which is a Catholic university here. It's a very conservative school.

[jjcolin]

Here is a Catholic University in Dallas. It's pretty good and has a great guide for new residents of Dallas. http://www.udallas.edu/iss/prearrival.cfm

Hope that gives some insight/help

[dallasdad]

Can some one tell us more about St Monica school. Academics ,funding,quality of education etc.
thx

[FarNorthDallas]

I've known quite a few folks who have sent kids through St. Monica's and all have been happy with it. It's the largest Catholic K-8 school in Dallas with about 800 kids. They pull from Preston Hollow/North Dallas which is a wealthy part of town. One mom told me that there is a test for kindergarten and not all kids can get in when they are 5. They have to wait until they were 6 to start kinder. The mom also told me they retained 15 kindergarteners the year before. I guess they don't want to deal with any "young for grade" types of issues. I don't know any current parents at St. Monicas (or their kids are still there and I lost touch with them) to tell you how it is doing now. I know they used to fill up and have waiting lists, but I don't know if that is still true. Might be, but they seem to be advertising a bit more than they used to. Oh, and most kids go on to Catholic high schools - Jesuit, Ursuline, Bishop Lynch.