Catholic Schools in MKE region v public schools (Milwaukee, Whitefish Bay: cul-de-sac, houses)

[Renton13]

We have four small kids, ages 3-8, who currently attend Catholic schools in NYC. If we move to Milwaukee, we are weighing whether to continue with Catholic schooling.

We checked out St. Robert's in Shorewood and that seemed pretty good, but I'm seeking some input for comparison's sake. What are the best out there?

AND if you have any thoughts on how Shorewood or Whitefish Bay public schools compare to the Catholic schools, I'd like those thoughts, too.

Thanks.

[Renton13]

Anyone?

[Vegas_Cabbie]

I went to a catholic grade school in Milwaukee from k-5 to 8th grade.
Many of us no longer affiliate with a major religion.

They are overpriced and after attending a public high school, my parents say they regret sending me to catholic school in the first place.

Coming from me, I think it was a massive waste of money and that I would have been better off in public school because that is where I learned about life and reality.
The Catholic grade school felt extremely forced... To me, it always felt a little fake... Like everything is so perfect and it didn't teach me how to handle general life obstacles and adversity very well.

Just my two cents since no one else was throwing any change in the pot.

[brrabbit]

WFB public schools are good.

If you want to send your children to a private school, you probably can move to an area with cheaper housing and voucher option (city of Mke?) and maybe that would subsidize your payment a little bit? I don't know exactly how it works, but you can take a look.

[43north87west]

Where would you be living?

If I remember correctly, 5 years ago when you were Water 4 The Pool, you were looking at Shorewood.

Originally Posted by Water 4 the Pool

We are really interested in Shorewood. What are the schools like and how is the lifestyle?
...
Neither of us is fond of new suburbs/exurbs with cul-de-sacs--we are seeking a real, established neighborhood, with sidewalks that people actually use, good schools, parks and stores/shops.

Based on that, I would say that you should ignore private schools, as your tax dollar$$$ would go to funding very good neighborhood public schools exclusive to your suburb. Ditto for Whitefish Bay, another non cul-de-sac community.

Originally Posted by Water 4 the Pool

$35k for our kindergarten of choice

Of course, if you are already paying $35k for kindergarten, what's the difference? But then, why live in a suburb if you can live on the East Side? If you are in the $35k/year for kindergarten tax bracket, surely your budget is not much of an impediment, and the East Side has some houses that you might like.

[Renton13]

Originally Posted by Vegas_Cabbie

I went to a catholic grade school in Milwaukee from k-5 to 8th grade.
Many of us no longer affiliate with a major religion.

They are overpriced and after attending a public high school, my parents say they regret sending me to catholic school in the first place.

Coming from me, I think it was a massive waste of money and that I would have been better off in public school because that is where I learned about life and reality.
The Catholic grade school felt extremely forced... To me, it always felt a little fake... Like everything is so perfect and it didn't teach me how to handle general life obstacles and adversity very well.

Just my two cents since no one else was throwing any change in the pot.

Which Catholic school did you attend and when?

[Vegas_Cabbie]

Holy Assumption (yes that's the real name lol) frommmmmmm... 1991-2000... I think. I don't know I tried to wipe it from memory.

[cheese plate]

Huh, not Milwaukee, but the Catholic school I went to grades 1-8 was, while boring, several years ahead of the public schools by the time high school started. I had 16 students in my 8th grade class (lost a number to public schools throughout the years), and by the time the class graduated in public high, 8 of the top 10 were part of the 16-person 8th parochial grade class I attended, including 1-4 (salutatorian, valedictorian). It was a decided advantage to attend Catholic School, though it was a small city and there weren't as many private options as in Milwaukee outside the parochial schools.

[MassVt]

I attended Catholic schools in the 1960s and 1970s in Vermont, and I have to admit, they had a good REPUTATION, but you really didn't learn any more than those kids in public schools, and the emphasis was more upon order and discipline than any true learning. The best instructors in public schools were much better than their counterparts in Catholic schools..

[cheese plate]

Originally Posted by MassVt

I attended Catholic schools in the 1960s and 1970s in Vermont, and I have to admit, they had a good REPUTATION, but you really didn't learn any more than those kids in public schools, and the emphasis was more upon order and discipline than any true learning. The best instructors in public schools were much better than their counterparts in Catholic schools..

Weird, definitely nothing like that where I grew up. We were all way ahead when we hit high school. Small classes, lots of one-on-one for those who needed it, discipline, good teachers (except for a couple nuns), emphasis on high school/college core study, and so on.