Sugar Land: St. Laurence Middle to High School transition? (Austin: fit in, house)

[marklbucla]

Since St. Laurence only goes up to middle school and it doesn't appear that there are any Catholic schools in Sugar Land, do 9th graders go to Pope John XXIII high school in Katy or do they go to a public high school?

Is it an easy transition for the students to go from Catholic to public school?

[Alphalogica]

Considering how St. Laurence is literally down the street from Clements HS, a public, albeit still exceptional HS, I don't see how that would be a problem. As a product of the local FBISD schools (my parents house is a football throw away from St. Laurence, actually), I really don't think you have much to worry about.

If St. Laurence was off of Fondren, then, yes, I would be concerned.

I'm assuming you live in the FC area and are zoned to a FBISD like Clements, Austin, or Dulles. If that's the case, I would imagine that one thing that could take getting used to is the diverse ethnic/racial make-up of those schools. For instance, I went to Clements, and there is a heavy Indian/Pakistani/Chinese population that goes there. They're good people though and have a lot to with the school's achievement academically as most of them take academics seriously. I can't recall of anyone I went to CHS with that went to St. Laurence, but I know of tons of people who attended church there.

[xavier1774]

Friends of mine have sent their kids to Strake Jesuit, St. Agnes, St. John's or any of the numerous college prep schools in town. Others have just sent their kids to Clements HS. They seem to adjust just fine.

[Sampaguita]

Originally Posted by marklbucla

Since St. Laurence only goes up to middle school and it doesn't appear that there are any Catholic schools in Sugar Land, do 9th graders go to Pope John XXIII high school in Katy or do they go to a public high school?

Is it an easy transition for the students to go from Catholic to public school?

A lot of our fellow parishoners sent their children to St. Laurence and then on to Strake & St. Agnes for high school.

I'd be interested to hear about the transition from Catholic to public high school...I was in Catholic school from nursery through hs so I never experienced that transition. But maybe that's for another forum.

[EasilyAmused]

Originally Posted by Sampaguita

A lot of our fellow parishoners sent their children to St. Laurence and then on to Strake & St. Agnes for high school.

I'd be interested to hear about the transition from Catholic to public high school...I was in Catholic school from nursery through hs so I never experienced that transition. But maybe that's for another forum.

Many from St. Laurence end up at Strake or St. Agnus, like said above. Scholastically they will probably be more than prepared for public school. Socially, it's going to be a bit of a shock. I would just take your child's personality into consideration.

I did the reverse, going from public system into private High School. I found it a relief. There was still some social petty junk, but the serious bullying and rough kids weren't there.

[Topaz]

I attended private school from pre-K to the end of middle school and then I started 9th grade at the local public high school. The most difficult thing was that all the other kids had gone to school together for years and years and I didn't know anyone. My personality then was such that it didn't bother me too much...I just focused on academics and I ended up being in student government and being the editor of the school newspaper, which helped, but in hindsight, it would have been nice to know at least one other kid. If I were ever in that situation with my own children, I would try to get them involved in sports or a church group or something where they would meet kids from the new school prior to enrolling.

[westres1]

We have friends at Strake that attended St lawrence. That seems to be the next step.

[HornedFrog]

Originally Posted by Topaz

The most difficult thing was that all the other kids had gone to school together for years and years

Not always given the new schools and rezoning that has occurred within FBISD within the past 10 years.

[EEstudent]

Let me tell you as a person that has seen people come from private school into a public school, it is a huge burden on the child because the mentality, environment, standards, and expectations are completely different. There will be a HUGE learning curve of the way things work in a large, diverse, public school.
On top of the new system, your child will be the "new kid" in school. And depending on how your child is personality wise, this can be a very depressing experience. I remember when I moved here from California, I tended to just talk all class and mess around in Fort Settlement middle school, and so it was not a big deal for me to fit in(although my schoolin wasn't all that great!) but in a private school things tend to be much more structured and strict. High school can be a great experience or a very bad one, depends on the environment and the personality of the child.

But if you do what West Res is suggesting by moving your child along with other people from the same middle school, then maybe your child will have some people they know and wont be as lonely.

Good luck...