November 11, 2022
Catholic High Schools: Are They Worth It?
(Research Paper)
For parents and teenagers alike, the argument of whether Catholic high schools are beneficial to students is a complex one. While some point out the academic advantages, others argue that they are too exclusive and discriminatory. Determining whether to send a teenager to a Catholic high school, parents and students must consider aspects going past the college preparatory courses. They need to regard how features of these schools can affect the students’ mental health, and ultimately, decide whether their students’ mental health is more important than a possible better education. Families should consider the academic benefits, social drawbacks, and LGBTQ exclusion of Catholic high schools to get a proper perception of whether the perks outweigh the flaws.
It has been proven that Catholic high schools benefit students greatly from an academic perspective. Advanced placement classes that count for college credit tend to be more readily available at Catholic schools than at public schools. Additionally, 76% of students take college preparatory courses in Catholic schools compared to the 45% of students that take them at public schools. The more rigorous workload can help to academically prepare students for college, in addition to giving them a hard work ethic. Despite the advanced workload, drop out rates for Catholic high schools are extremely low. Thinking about this, children in single-parent families that go to public schools are twice as likely to drop out as those in two-parent families. However, the rate is about the same for both types of families at Catholic schools, with the dropout rate in general remaining almost nonexistent. Given this evidence, it is clear that students who go to Catholic high schools tend to stay in school longer than those who go to public high schools. Nonetheless, staying in school for longer at a Catholic school must be weighed against the social aspects that students would be experiencing.
Having Catholic high schools means more than a private education; it allows the Catholic church to institute their own values within the community. Religion classes, prayers, and masses are just some of the aspects that the church is able to mandate students to participate in. On the other hand, public schools cannot push specific religions onto their students and staff while still allowing them the religious freedom to practice as they would like. Relating to the church’s values, uniforms are in the majority of Catholic high schools. Although there are positive aspects to uniforms in schools such as less discrimination based off appearance, it can also limit a student’s freedom to express themself. Regarding uniforms in Catholic schools, the guidelines tend to be made by the diocese running the school and not by the staff of the school themselves. This can be even more problematic since those making choices about the dress code are not physically there to see how it affects students. Additionally, a uniform policy in place promotes binary gender roles and are often rooted in sexism. The dress codes in Catholic schools likely favor men and are harsher on women in order to relay the message that women need to dress modestly. This is one of the church’s values that they promote; men cannot control themselves and women must be the ones to cover up to protect themselves. In one Catholic high school in Illinois, they released a 21 page handbook about all the restrictions for prom dresses. However, there were not any restrictions for the men attending prom. Separating rules by gender further pushes the point of sexism and misogyny. Ultimately, the diocese making decisions regarding dress code and forcing religion are only a few of the ways that they make Catholic high schools discriminatory.
The Catholic church tends to be clear on their position towards LGBTQIA people, as in they discourage any positive talk or expression relating to the community. Considering this, high schools run by the Catholic church can be extremely harmful to queer teens’ mental health. According to The Trevor Project’s National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health in 2021, 42% of queer youths seriously considered attempting suicide. However, those who had access to gender and sexuality affirming spaces reported lower rates of attempted suicide. Moreover, only 1 in 3 LGBTQ youth found their home to be affirming, further exasperating the issue of needing school to be a supportive place. The majority of Catholic high schools are not open to putting their students’ identities and well-being before the beliefs of the church. This can be truly damaging to queer teens and their mental health, both short term and long term. Short term, depression and anxiety symptoms can increase along with suicidal thoughts and isolation from peers. Longer term, trauma from a lack of support systems for LGBTQ teens can be detrimental to accepting their own identity as well as having the ability to be their authentic selves. Catholic high schools are definitively not a safe place for LGBTQIA folks as the evidence suggests that it is dangerous for them in various manners.
It is important to look into the advantages and disadvantages of high schools run by the Catholic church in order to assure that a religion based school does not negatively affect teenagers’ education or mental health. While this can be a controversial topic, understanding what is best for students needs to be the priority. Parents must understand that sending their child to a Catholic high school can be potentially harmful, especially if their child is a part of the LGBTQ community. The academic benefits that are provided at Catholic high schools do not outweigh the lack of an affirming space for identity, which is essential for adolescents’ development. Although it is necessary for students to grasp the culture of the school that they could go into, it is crucial for parents to prioritize their child’s mental health over scholastic assets and choose a school that will support that.
References
Mahoney, K. (2021, August 16). Catholic high schools make a difference in college prep. Catholic Herald. https://catholicherald.org/featured/catholic-high-schools-make-a-difference-in-college-prep/
Peoples, L. (2017, March 8). This Catholic school’s prom dress code is 21 pages long & pretty sexist. Refinery29. https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2017/03/144391/viral-dress-code-sexist-prom-handbook
Ring, T. (2022, August 17). Trans football player’s dad slams school system’s anti-lgbtq policies. Advocate.Com. https://www.advocate.com/religion/2022/8/17/trans-football-players-dad-slams-school-systems-anti-lgbtq-policies
The Trevor Project National Survey. (n.d.). Retrieved November 10, 2022, from https://www.thetrevorproject.org/survey-2021/
User, S. (n.d.). What Public Education can Learn from Catholic Schools. Retrieved November 10, 2022, from https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/education/catholic-contributions/what-public-education-can-learn-from-catholic-schools.html
Wisner, W. (2020, February 10). What to know about Catholic schools. Verywell Family. https://www.verywellfamily.com/catholic-schools-4779239