Looking for a private school for gifted kids in San Diego (Solana Beach: catholic schools, universities)
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I'm a former employee of SDUSD, and I wouldn't recommend sending your children there. If you can afford some type of private school, I would do that instead.
Hmmm, well if you move into the poway district you might find your child is in line with the other kids. I know a child came from colorado mid year and was way below the kids in the class where my son attended. California likes to think they have it so bad, but in all honesty, depending on where you live its actually quite outstanding. Check out greatschools.com first. People like to ***** and moan about the budget cuts in cali for education, but having just moved to the east coast (virginia) and having experience in wisconsin as well... where they might have a beautiful campus, dedicated art room, and give spanish classes, they are WELL below where my son is (and my son was average in his cali classroom). The standards are just MUCH lower in our new district (and its one of the better ones here mind you). Anyhow, move to del mar, carlsbad, coronado or poway and your child will be fine, but these schools do offer great GATE programs anyhow. Move to san diego county schools and they are just average (not bad just average) they probably are better than Virginia's too.
Dont believe everything you read. Call around to the principals of these schools. The schools might have budget cuts but you'd be surprised how the community raises money for schools. I know ours raised over 60K at the beginning of last year to fund extras for the kids due to budget cuts. PTA is 99% active--good schools start at HOME with parents.
Regarding what private schools? Not sure, so many people move to poway for the schools, they may have the options for private schools but not many use them unless they go for the christianity peice (like a catholic school for instance).
good luck
look ... i'm sorry if you're offended, but religious schools place great emphasis on indoctrinating religious beliefs in young minds, that's a fact, and that's half the reason why they even exist.
here are some quotes from the website of a random religious private school from San Diego area:
Don't know about you but I'd rather leave California than let my children attend anything like this.
Religion is to be chosen voluntarily during adulthood, not to be brainwashed into starting in kindergarten.
I don't see anything wrong with that quoted language, but then I was brainwashed and taught not to think for myself at a very young age, so what do I know. Sometimes I wonder how I put my pants on every morning.
Thanks for all of your interesting responses. Certainly gives me an insight into a different picture!
loveautumn: we're moving because we're sea not mountain people. Sort of like "the weather" right? My husband and I both grew up in a very different environment in another country, and San Diego is very similar.
Onto school choices. Our children are in private schools here in Denver and we would most probably choose to continue that in California. I'm not going to delve into why we choose private schools, but we do, unless there is a fantastic option that is public, which is not something I've seen.
That being said, I'm Jewish and went to a Greek school and a Convent amongst other schools. I've never been brainwashed, and trust that as an adult I wouldn't allow that to happen to my children either.
Thanks to all our your for the suggestions and I'll plan on exploring all seriously.
I second the Rhoades School recommendation. My children love it and they have received an extraordinary education. It is definitely one of the top schools in San Diego.
look ... i'm sorry if you're offended, but religious schools place great emphasis on indoctrinating religious beliefs in young minds, that's a fact, and that's half the reason why they even exist.
here are some quotes from the website of a random religious private school from San Diego area:
Don't know about you but I'd rather leave California than let my children attend anything like this.
Religion is to be chosen voluntarily during adulthood, not to be brainwashed into starting in kindergarten.
You really quoted from this school at random? This school (St. Joseph Academy) is one of the most conservative Catholic schools in southern California. They think other Catholic schools aren't Catholic enough.
I realize it may help you make your point to find the most extreme example of religious education but you're not fooling everyone.
Normally I don't go around browsing web sites of religious private schools ... I saw this one when someone on another forum was touting St Joseph Academy as one of the best catholic schools in the country and an excellent alternative to San Marcos High (because there are gangs in the vicinity of SM High! Oh the horror!)
If St Joseph is extreme ... fine. Show me a religious private school that won't force my son to pray in public every day, won't require him to attend Mass or anything like that, and won't teach him that evolution is "just a theory".
Last edited by esmith143; 05-13-2009 at 06:20 PM..
I can only speak for catholic schools. The two that I have experience with do require attendance at Mass but do not force students to pray in public (they do have to act in a respectful way while others are praying) and they teach evolution as science and don't teach creationism.
Catholic schools range from conservative to almost secular. It depends on the community. Most require students to attend mass, usually once a week, and attend some sort of religion class, usually a religious history course. Many do not teach creationism. Other Christian denominations (usually very small schools) do teach that type of curriculum. Many Catholic high schools in liberal areas (i.e. CA) have a non-Catholic program too.
There are also non-parochial private schools, i.e. preparatory schools which often have a similar focus on discipline but do not have a religious component, i.e. La Jolla Country Day or Francis Parker. Some parents simply prefer this setting. My boss, for example, lives in Carmel Valley but choses to send her child to Francis Parker instead of San Dieguito Academy or Torrey Pines. We have several friends who teach at and send their own children to LJCD despite having top-notch public schools in their area.
In my life I have a few heroes. One was a philosophy and english teacher in my public high school. I asked him if his kids went to our school and he told us he sent his kids to Catholic school. I didn't understand why such an enlightened, intelligent, and admittedly agnostic man would send his kids to a Catholic school. He said "it gives them something to rebel against". It took me a long time to understand what that meant.
My mother has tought at a Catholic school for 30+ years. Her school has become slowly more liberal by Roman Catholic standards as it is in a liberal northeastern area. Even given free tuition, she never sent us there and sent us to the public school instead. Today, she has a different opinion. She offers to pay for our child's private education should we decide to go that route. She believes, as do I, that our society and culture have changed, and that public schools have (for the most part) not changed accordingly. For what it's worth, I consider myself agnostic and do not practice or participate in organized religion in any way.
Take a good look at the social-emotional education doctrine that is slowly replacing academics in public education and you might consider that to be a form of "brainwashing" too.
Last edited by Sassberto; 05-13-2009 at 10:43 PM..
In my life I have a few heroes. One was a philosophy and english teacher in my public high school. I asked him if his kids went to our school and he told us he sent his kids to Catholic school. I didn't understand why such an enlightened, intelligent, and admittedly agnostic man would send his kids to a Catholic school. He said "it gives them something to rebel against". It took me a long time to understand what that meant.
This is exactly why I enjoyed my religious school - something to rebel against. Actually, it provided me better insight into what I did and did not believe.
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