Section 3: The Winner is..............

When looking at the statistics on national test a clear winner can be identified, Catholic Schools.

The Cost

Today in the United States the average spent to send a child to a public school each year is just under $11,000.  This cost varies greatly from state to state and even down to the district level.  Catholic schools vary from $5,100 at the elementary level to just over $10,000 at the High School level. 

So as you can see the cost on average is just about the same, however keep in  mind that much of the money that pays to send a child to a public school system comes from property taxes and government subsidies.  You may elect to send your child to a Catholic school but you still WILL pay these taxes.  Based on this to send your child to public school costa about $10,000 less than sending them to a Catholic school.  So what exactly are the benefits if any of sending your child to a Catholic school?

Benefits of a Catholic School

Many students say that the structure and regimented learning systems in place at a Catholic school has helped them immensely at the collegiate level.  The biggest advantage I can personally see in a Catholic School is flexibility.  Catholic schools are not beholden to unions.  If a curriculum is not working or if they need to resize classes it can be done internally without approval from union boards, etc.  Educating our Children: Catholic Schools doing more with less

Now onto academics.....In the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress tests, which are administered by the U.S. Department of Education Catholic schools outperformed Public Schools in every area.

In reading 8th graders in a Catholic School out performed their public school counterparts by an average of 20 points.  In mathematics the difference was smaller but Catholic School students still put performed their counterparts by 13 points. 

In a 2013 Ohio study, Catholic students scored a composite score of 23.6 on the ACT in comparison to Public Schools at 21.7. On the SAT's Catholic Schools again came out on top.  Catholic schools scored a 1,118 (Reading and Math combined) compared to 1,079 in Public Schools.  Ohio Study

Disadvantages of a Catholic School

So is the juice worth the squeeze...........Catholic school teachers tend to be paid less and not as educated as their public counterparts but they do enjoy the ability to be flexible.  One of the disadvantages of a Catholic school, besides the cost, is the mandatory religious training.  Maybe you are an atheist but want to get the best education possible for your child.  Catholic schools may not be for you.  Another disadvantage is a lack of diversity, Catholic schools can be selective in who they admit and then again comes the cost of attending a Catholic school.  All these things will prohibit many diverse students from enrolling. 

Conclusion

Catholic schools began in this country earlier than the public school system.  Although declining over the last thirty years they still educate over 2 million students a year, all of whom pay tuition to attend.  The public school system, which is tax per funded, is the primary means of educating the youth in the United States but the system is overburden with legislation, changing policies, and over crowded classrooms.  A Catholic education will do a better job preparing students for the rigors of College Academics and Standardized Testing but comes at the expense of freedom of religion and diversity.