Private schools in CH/Durham area - How do they compare with public? (Raleigh: chapel, homes) - The Triangle Area - City-Data Forum

SaxMan89 · 09-14-2007, 07:56 AM

I'm looking for information/opinions on how the private schools in the Chapel Hill and Durham areas compare with the public schools. I like the Durham area for housing affordability and some of the newer neighborhoods going up, but have heard/read mixed things about the quality of the schools. Are there good resources that offer comparisons or does anyone have experience with some of the private offerings (particularly the Catholic school offerings)?

Thanks for any help.

leighbhe · 09-14-2007, 08:01 AM

I think it depends on why you want your kids to go to private school, do you think they will receive a better education, or do you want the religious component?

Chapel hill schools have always had an excellent reputation, but it is also a wide spread belief that they teach to the test and there is a tremendous amount of pressure for students to be successful academically. I went to high school in chapel hill, and there was a lot of pressure and this was years ago. The students who were not college bound seemed to be ignored. On the flip side, I went to private school in durham until high school, I went to carolina friends school. My parents both taught there, which is why I went there. I loved it.

Durham public schools get a bad rep, but I believe there are many public schools that are very good, some are not as good, but many are good. So, don't discount the public schools in durham.

Look on greatschools.net, call the schools, visit them if possible.

The only catholic private school in chapel hill that I can think of off of the top of my head is st. thomas moore. I don't know anything about it though.

Leigh

mfrank2109 · 09-14-2007, 09:26 AM

While neither of my kids went to St. Thomas More (CH) or Immaculata (Durham), they did go to parochial schools in Raleigh and I have attended athletic events at both schools. I would say that in general, children attending parochial schools are at least performing at grade level. Chapel Hill is known for having good public schools while it's somewhat hit and miss with Durham. There are religious advantages to sending your kids to a parochial school - they will actually have a Christmas party and not a Winterfest. The parochial schools do not have the end-of-grade tests like the public schools have but they do have the Iowa Standardized Testing during the Fall of each year which will help guage how your child is doing. Also since they have religion in school, you don't have to send them to CCD which can be a challenge at some of the larger parishes. Expect the cost to be around $5K if your a parishioner. Good luck with your decision - it's something my wife and I struggled with for 12 years. By the way, Immaculata has a beautiful gym - thanks to Coach K. The school has to share it with the city, but it is the nicest of all the parochial schools in the Triangle.

findingmesomeday · 09-14-2007, 09:33 AM

Good to know since if we wind up outside of CH, Catholic school will be a consideration.

CCD here in my town in MA is neighborhood based. So convenient! My oldest was confirmed last year (10th grade) so I've only got 2 more..

Desdemona123 · 09-14-2007, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NChomesomeday

Good to know since if we wind up outside of CH, Catholic school will be a consideration.

CCD here in my town in MA is neighborhood based. So convenient! My oldest was confirmed last year (10th grade) so I've only got 2 more..

St Catherines in Wake Forest is easy to get to as it’s right off Main Street. The wife of one of my co-workers helps teach it.

coltank · 09-14-2007, 01:22 PM

The biggest thing that drags down the Durham Public Schools are the fact that there is a larger percentage of economically disadvantaged students. The fact that some of the parents just aren't involved in their education, or teach them that they won't amount to much. Sometimes these students can be distracting in class since they don't care about their education, but if your children are in Honors classes or AP classes, it isn't much of an issue.

Honestly, I experienced the same thing in Chapel Hill Schools when I went there. In the non Honors classes there weren't as many distracting students, but it only takes one.

saturnfan · 09-14-2007, 01:47 PM

Some interesting issues in the Durham school board too. One member was known to engage in fisticuffs when she disagreed with the other members.

Some example for the students, eh?

jln69 · 09-14-2007, 03:35 PM

I don't know many catholic schools in that area but Durham Academy is one of the best. Pricey though. For public, I say Chapel Hill-Carrboro. You can get a very good public education there. There are some good public schools in Durham but I seem to like the overall Chapel Hill-Carrboro curriculum much better.

chemteacher · 09-14-2007, 04:58 PM

Like other posters said,Chapel Hill public schools are considered the best public schools in the area. I would choose Chapel Hill public schools over private any day unless you are looking for a religious education. Some of the Durham schools are very good as well (Jordan HS, and even Riverside HS). The reason I would choose a good public school over a private school (besides the money) is that private schools aren't held to the same legal requirements as public schools and they often hire unlicensed teachers and are not able to properly educate and DIAGNOSE students with special needs. I have two intersting examples of this
1. A wealthy family friend sent her son to VERY posh private schools his whole life. When he was very unsuccessful in high school she finally pulled him out and put him into public school in 11th grade. It took the public school teachers 1 month to figure out her son was dyslexic. The boy recieved services and went to college. Needless to say the wealthy woman was angry that she spent so much $$$ on private schools that could properly educate her son.
2. My aunt who happens to be a special ed teacher sent her children to catholic schools and her when son who is ADHD and LD was struggling with reading and the school didn't offer any special help she decided to pull her kids out and sent them to public school too.

bullcityculture · 09-14-2007, 05:43 PM

I think coltank hit the nail right on the head with the Durham Public School system economic make-up. As far as parents go I think that is any school, when parents aren't involved, its not very motivating for the child. The Chapel Hill Public School is very good, it always scores very highly in rankings.

Saturnfan its funny that you mention a member of the school board being involved in fisticuffs, although that was taken care of over a year ago when the new school board was elected and those problems no longer exist. Time to let go and find something else to find wrong with the school system now because they have great examples.