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I have 2 girls who are 3 and 4 years old and we are currently looking at private schools in and near Apex. We are Catholic so we are looking closely at St. Michael's and St. Mary Magdelen's. If we chose a Catholic school we would probably send them to Cardinal Gibbons since they only go to 8th grade. We have heard good things about St. Timothy's and St. David's, but the price is substantially higher and it would be twice the driving distance. Basically what we are looking for is a school that will give our girls the best oppurtunities after they graduate and move on to college.
Is St. David's really worth the money?
How does Cardinal Gibbons compare with St. David's as far as college placement?
Which Catholic elementary school is better Michael's or Mary Magdelen's?
Are there any other schools we should be looking at?
I've had 2 boys at St. Michael's and the school and parish are now in some turmoil and in rebuilding mode. There are (hopefully, according to the Bishop) positive changes being made but the Monsignor and principal are both leaving, programs have been cut back and to put it delicately, there is some financial "stuff" going on.
As a parent of recent students at that school, I would not recommend.
Cardinal Gibbons is a highly regarded school on a national level. Really have to stretch to find anything substantive to criticize. The principal is a wonderful guy and very exuberant, but my son sometimes struggles with the teaching methods of some (could happen anywhere) and his homework load is immense. They are sports champs and VERY helpful with college placement and planning.
we have our kids at STMM and love it. from my understanding, three of the four freshman officers at Gibbons were from STMM.....just saying :-)
in all seriousness, I was lead to believe that the schools were pretty much equal in academics. regarding gibbons for college placement, over the last four years they had kids accepted to Princeton, Williams, Skidmore, Penn, Tulane, Duke, Columbia, etc... (below is the list from their website)
American Musical & Dramatic Academy American University
Anderson University Appalachian State University
Arcadia University
Asbury College Auburn University
Ball State University Bard College
Barnard College Barton College Baylor University Belmont Abbey College Belmont University
Bennington College Bentley University Boston College Boston Conservatory Boston University Brevard College
Brown University Bucknell University Campbell University Carnegie Mellon University
Case Western Catawba College Catholic University of America
Centre College Charleston Southern University
Chowan University
Christian Brothers University
Christendom College Christopher Newport University Clemson University
Coastal Carolina University Colgate University College of Charleston
College of the Holy Cross College of William and Mary
College of Wooster
Colorado State University Columbia College Columbia University Cornell University Creighton University Dartmouth College David Lipscomb University
Davidson College
Denison University
DeSales University
Dickinson College
Dominican College
Drexel University Duke University Duquesne University Earlham College East Carolina University Eastern Kentucky University
Elizabethtown College Elon University
Emory University Embry Riddle Aeronautic University
Fairfield University
Ferrum College
Fisk University
Florida Atlantic University Florida Gulf Coast University
Florida Institute of Technology
Florida International University Florida State University Fordham University Franciscan University Franklin and Marshall College
Franklin Pierce College
Furman University Gardner-Webb University George Mason University
George Washington University Georgetown University Georgia Institute of Technology
Gettysburg College
Gonzaga College
Greensboro College Guilford College Hampden-Sydney College
Hampton University High Point University Hillsdale College Holy Cross College
Hofstra University Howard University
Immaculata University Indiana University James Madison University
John Carroll University
Johns Hopkins University Johnson and Wales
Juniata College
Kenyon College
Lawrence University
Limestone College
Kansas State University Kings College Lenoir Rhyne College
Louisburg College Louisiana State University
Loyola College in Maryland Loyola Marymount College
Loyola University of Chicago Loyola University Maryland Loyola University New Orleans Lynchburg College
Marquette University Mary Baldwin College Marymount Manhattan College
Marymount University
Mercer University Meredith College
Methodist University Miami University of Ohio Michigan State University
Middle Tennessee State University Monmouth University Montreat College Morehouse College Mount Holyoke College
Mt. Olive College
Mount St. Mary College New York University
Newberry College
North Carolina A&T State University
North Carolina Central University
North Carolina School of the Arts North Carolina State University
Northeastern University Northwestern University
Old Dominion University
Oglethorpe University Ohio University
Ohio State University Ohio Wesleyan Peace College Pennsylvania State University Pepperdine University
Pfeiffer University
Pratt Institute Point Park University
Providence College Princeton University Purdue University Queens University
Queens University- Canada
Radford University Randolph College
Randolph-Macon College
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rhodes College
Roanoke College Rochester Institute of Technology
Rose Hulman Institute of Technology
Rutgers University Salem College
Salisbury College School of Art Institute – Chicago
Shimer College
Southwestern U Skidmore College
Southwestern University
Spring Hill College St. Andrew’s Presbyterian College St. Bonaventure University St. Charles Borromeo Seminary
St. John’s University St. Joseph’s University St. Mary’s College at Notre Dame St. Olaf College
Salve Regina University
Santa Clara University Savannah College of Art and Design Stanford University Stetson University
SUNY Purchase Syracuse University Texas A&M University The Citadel
Tulane University
Tusculum College UCLA UNC Asheville UNC Chapel Hill UNC Charlotte UNC Greensboro UNC Pembroke UNC Wilmington United States Air Force Academy United States Coast Guard Academy United States Military Academy United States Naval Academy University of Alabama University of Arizona
University of the Arts
University of California, Berkley University of Central Florida
University of Chicago
University of Cincinnati University of Colorado Boulder
University of Connecticut University of Dallas University of Dayton
University of Delaware
University of Denver
University of Florida University of Georgia
University of Houston University of Illinois-Urbana University of Iowa
University of Kansas University of Kentucky University of Louisville University of Maine University of Maryland, Baltimore County University of Maryland, College Park University of Mary Washington University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Miami University of Michigan University of Mississippi University of Missouri University of Nebraska University of Notre Dame
University of Oklahoma
University of Pennsylvania University of Pittsburgh
University of Rhode Island University of Richmond
University of San Diego University of South Carolina University of St. Thomas University of Tampa University of Tennessee University of Texas Austin University of Toronto
University of Vermont University of Virginia University of Washington
Vanderbilt University Villanova University
Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Military Institute Virginia Polytechnic University Wagner College Wake Forest University
Washington & Lee University
Washington and Jefferson University
Washington University/St. Louis
Wesleyan University West Virginia University Western Carolina University Widener University Williams College Wingate University
Winston-Salem State University
Winthrop University
Worcester Polytechnic Institute Xavier University
I have two daughters at St. Michael's (StMS) and I am very impressed with the school. I also regularly attend Catholic school sporting events and have been impressed with the character and maturity of the students from St. Mary Magdalene (StMM). I highly recommend both schools.
Our family moved to this area just a few years ago and the St. Michael's community has been incredibly supportive of us and we have made many great friends. The academics, athletics, religious formation and service orientation are strong at St. Michael's. Yes, the school is transitioning from one principal to another but the faculty, PTO, student body and tradition of excellence are not changing. The program cutbacks due to budget issues have been minor and have not had any significant impact on my daughters.
My older daughter is in 8th grade and I am planning to send her to CGHS. I agree that the prinicipal is a fantastic leader (and StMS parent) and the academics and athletics are of high quality. However, what impressed me most during my tour of CGHS was the students and, in particular, their commitment to service in the community. From Habitat for Humanity to the soup kitchen, CGHS students are in our community making a difference.
Please DM me if you would like additional info about any of these three schools.
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StMM and StMS
