why i want to attend a catholic high school essay

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Writing a Catholic High School Application Essay

By Mr. Chris Lorenc

         A high school application essay is a personal essay. Essentially you’re introducing yourself. No matter the question or prompt, one way or another every question comes down to this: tell us who you are and what’s important to you. And…tell us why we (as a school community) are a good fit for you—and what you’re looking forward to being able to contribute to our school community.

         The schools already introduced themselves to you. They’ve done this through their mission statement, school philosophy, and open houses. It’s very important that you read and understand a school’s mission statement and philosophy of education—and pay close attention to who the school says it is. You and your parents may primarily want you to go to a school because it has a great academic reputation, and you think it will help you get into a good college. And the school undoubtedly does have an excellent academic reputation. But when you read the school’s mission statement, you’ll discover that academic excellence by itself isn’t the primary or central value at the heart of the school’s mission and philosophy. If the school’s telling you, “We value A, B, C, and D,” and in your essays, you don’t even mention A, B, and C, then you can come across as not caring about those values.

         This is something particularly to pay attention to in the values-centered mission statements of Catholic prep schools. You don’t need to be a Catholic yourself in order to be accepted at a Catholic school, but in your application essays, you need to be able to understand the school’s values and translate them into terms that make sense to you in your own family and family’s traditions. If you don’t come from a middle school or faith community in which this Catholic language is familiar, find someone who can help you understand this language. Almost invariably when someone helps you understand this language, you’ll see how these values are also important in your own life even if your family uses different spiritual language to express those values.

         A “good school” really means a “good fit” between an applicant and a school community. You should be asking yourself: “in all its core values, is this school community really a good fit for me?” Once you’re able to answer that question for yourself, you’ll be able to express your shared values in your application essays.

         Since these are personal essays, speak honestly and from your heart—and give good practical examples (and sometimes brief anecdotes) about what you’re saying. The school already knows the data of your grades and test scores. Through your essays, they’re looking to get a personal feeling for who you are.

         And obviously it goes without saying: write the essays yourself. You can get feedback, maybe even a little trying-out of your ideas back-and-forth with another, but your essays should sound like you because they’re written by you. Anything else would be a breach of academic integrity.

Mr. Chris Lorenc is a former English teacher at Bellarmine College Prep in San Jose, CA. For the past several years, he has been working 1-on-1 with students to help them write their application essays. If you are interested in working with Mr. Lorenc, you may contact him by email at [email protected] . He has limited availability, so don’t wait until the last minute if  interested!

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Catholic Review

Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Why Catholic? Parents explain choice for Catholic education

Jill McCormack’s reason for sending her children to Catholic school is simple.

“I want to do everything I can to get them to heaven,” said McCormack, a mother of four whose two eldest children, Liana and Vinny, attend third and first grade respectively at St. John School in Westminster.

“Almost as importantly,” she explained, “I want them to have the tools to live a good life while they’re on earth and be good people and serve.”

For many parents of Catholic schoolchildren throughout the Archdiocese of Baltimore, cultivating faith is at the top of the list of reasons for choosing Catholic education. For others, strong academics, a sense of community, opportunities for service or safe environments are just as important.

The Catholic Review spoke with several parents about why they make sacrifices to keep their children in Catholic schools.

Opportunity for education

Paris Gibson always knew she wanted to send her children to a good school, but the single parent worried about the financial burden of tuition. 

When Gibson started to research schools, she learned about the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s scholarship opportunities for Baltimore City Catholic schools. She reached out to what was then Holy Angels Catholic School and “fell in love.” 

“I wanted to make sure not only that they received a quality education,” she said, “but that they were being educated in an environment where there were still rules and principles.” 

Her son, Dallas Paschall, was accepted and received financial aid – a “blessing,” Gibson said. 

Dallas graduated from Mother Mary Lange Catholic School in Baltimore last spring after starting there in sixth grade. When it came time to find a school for his little sister, Egypt-Reign Harcum, it was a no-brainer. 

“I just felt so at ease with Dallas going to Catholic school, and so once I had Egypt, it was automatic that she would go to Catholic school as well,” Gibson said. 

Egypt attended Mother Mary Lange for pre-k-3, then transferred to St. Agnes School in Catonsville in her pre-k-4 year. Gibson said her daughter, now a kindergartener, is “so in love” with Jesus, and that she teaches her things every day.

From a teacher and a parent

For Beth Varanko, a first-grade teacher at St. John the Evangelist School in Hydes, the reasons she wanted to teach in a Catholic school are the same as she wanted her daughter to attend one. 

“I had the most amazing experience going to small, private schools myself and I wanted to be able to teach in a small, private, Catholic school where we can talk about faith, we can talk about God,” said Varanko, who went to private elementary school and then graduated from The John Carroll School in Bel Air. 

Varanko’s daughter, Cecilia, is a student this year in her first-grade classroom. The single mother said the tight-knit community of St. John the Evangelist is important to them both. 

“Here, I feel like (Cecilia) has people who care for her,” Varanko said. “It’s important to me that she has those influences and people she can go to.” 

In turn, Varanko gets to be there for her students. 

“I feel like I get to know each child really well and get to build a relationship with them, which as a teacher, I love,” she said.

Tight-knit community

The Young family lives within walking distance of St. Francis of Assisi School in the Northeast neighborhood of Baltimore City. Carrie Young, mother of sixth-grader, Lucien, and third-grader, Julia, said St. Francis is an integral part of their neighborhood. 

“We’re very much like a community hub in a way that churches traditionally have been, but aren’t always still,” said Young, also a parishioner of St. Francis of Assisi. 

Most of the families in the school live in the surrounding community, Young said, and others are connected to the neighborhood because they work nearby. 

Young just spent two years as the president of the Home and School Association, and is still on its board. 

Academically, St. Francis has done well for Lucien and Julia, who started there in kindergarten and pre-K, respectively. Young said the school offers traditional standards and discipline, while also being a warm and welcoming environment with some progressive ideas, such as flexible seating. 

“It’s a small, supportive community,” Young said. “We always say that it’s not just a school, it’s a way of life.”

A worthwhile investment

For Katie Moore and her family, Catholic education has provided attention that couldn’t be offered to their children in public school. Their three daughters attend St. John the Evangelist School in Hydes this year. The Moores’ oldest daughter, Grady, previously attended preschool at Immaculate Conception School in Towson. The family loved their experience, but after COVID hit and they moved to a new area, they enrolled their girls in public school.

“Grady received a great foundation,” Moore said. “She was set up for success.” After her second child, Wyatt, completed kindergarten in public school, they realized she was missing the building blocks that Grady had. Wyatt is repeating kindergarten at St. John the Evangelist this year, Moore said, so she gets a strong foundation. Grady is now in third grade, and the youngest, Declan, is in pre-k-3. “I wanted to start Declan off with that advantage as well, getting that personalized foundation,” Moore said. 

Academic discipline

When J. Smith’s daughter Madison was just a toddler, she and her husband noticed Madison was ahead of the curve and eager to learn. They wanted to support her in any way they could, and after researching schools, knew they found the right fit when they came across St. Agnes School in Catonsville. 

“Ultimately, it was the discipline that St. Agnes provided, being able to teach the religion alongside the academics starting even in the pre-k program,” Smith said. 

Now in seventh grade, Smith said Madison is thriving. An inquisitive student, Madison loves to debate and ask questions. 

Smith said they have been talking about high school since fifth grade, and though they do not know where Madison will go yet, she is prepared. 

As Madison prepares to move on from St. Agnes and on to high school in the coming years, the Smiths’ journey at St. Agnes is far from complete. They plan to enroll their 2-year-old daughter in the same pre-K-3 program next fall.

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Why Your Children Will Benefit From a Catholic Education

One of the most critical decisions parents make for their children is where to educate them. Since children spend so many of their waking hours at school, their school can play a significant role in shaping them as a person.

The right school will not only teach them core subjects like math, science or English — it will also instill values like teamwork, personal responsibility, compassion and more. Catholic schools are an ideal choice for families who want to invest in their children’s education and help them become their best selves. Why choose Catholic school over public school? Read on to learn more.

Help Other Children Get a Catholic Education

Essential Benefits of a Catholic Education

There are many advantages of a Catholic education, but we can group these into two main categories: the quality of academic instruction and the foundation of faith it provides. In a sense, these categories are two sides of the same coin, because Catholic educators understand a quality education should engage with a student on all levels, including both intellectually and spiritually. As  Pope Benedict XVI pointed out , “A good school provides a rounded education for the whole person.”

Why is Catholic school important? A quality Catholic education can give students a solid foundation in academic subjects, preparing them well for college and careers, and can give them a sound spiritual foundation, preparing them for life more broadly. The value of Catholic school is that students have a place to grow and thrive as a whole person.

Benefits of Catholic School vs. Public School

If you’re considering Catholic school for your children, you’re likely wondering about the pros and cons of Catholic school, compared to a secular education. In virtually any way you can compare Catholic and public schools, Catholic school comes out ahead as the better option for your child. Let’s look at a few ways Catholic schools distinguish themselves from public schools.

1. Higher Graduation Rates

Historically, Catholic schools tend to have higher graduation rates than public schools — a demonstration of Catholic educators’ commitment to keeping students engaged with their education. A 2018 study also found that Catholic school students went on to experience  higher graduation rates from college , compared to their peers who had attended public school.

2. Higher Achievement and College Readiness

On the whole, Catholic students tend to outperform their public school peers academically. There are many ways to measure academic achievement, but whether it’s  reading and math scores for elementary and middle school  students or  ACT scores for high school students , Catholic school students demonstrate higher achievement levels than public school students. Catholic high school students also go on to have  higher GPAs in college  compared to college students who attended public school.

3. Lower Student-Teacher Ratio

Another advantage of Catholic schools is that they tend to have a lower student-teacher ratio than public schools. The average student-teacher ratio for public schools in the U.S.  is approximately 16-to-1 , while the average student-teacher ratio for  Catholic schools is 12-to-1 . This significant difference can allow teachers in Catholic schools to engage more effectively with each student in their classroom.

4. Emphasis on Religious Values

If the critical distinctions above aren’t enough, another reason to choose Catholic school over public school for your child is the added spiritual component that is absent from public education. There are multiple ways to invest in your children’s spiritual education, even if they are in public school. However, students in Catholic school benefit from a common thread of Biblical values woven through all their academic classes.

5. A Sense of Community

When your child’s school is part of your church parish, your whole family can enjoy stronger bonds with other parishioners. Rather than having separate groups of church and school friends, students at Catholic schools benefit from one especially rich and tightly woven community. Catholic schools also tend to place a high priority on involving parents in their children’s education, which brings members of the group even closer together.

Why Parents Choose Catholic Schools

If you’re searching for reasons to send your child to Catholic school, you don’t have to look far. All of the advantages we touched on above are convincing reasons to consider. If you’re still asking yourself, “Should I send my child to Catholic school?” or “Is Catholic education better than public?” see if you can relate to any of these descriptions. If so, you may want to choose Catholic school for your student.

You Want Your Child to Receive Catholic Instruction Throughout the Week

Some parents send their children to Confraternity of Christian Doctrine classes on the weekends to invest in their students’ spiritual and theological understanding, but during the week, these students find themselves immersed in a completely secular environment. This phenomenon can encourage students to compartmentalize their spiritual lives from their “regular” lives at school. Parents who want their children to absorb Catholic teachings throughout the week should choose Catholic school for their children.

You Want Your Child to Realize Their Academic Potential

As we’ve seen, Catholic schools have a reputation for helping students reach higher levels of academic achievement in their K-12 years and even achieve higher grades in college. Catholic schools even  outperform other types of private schools  in many cases. If you want your child to unlock their academic potential and go on to further their education at the postsecondary level, Catholic school is a wise choice.

You Are Not Catholic, but Want Your Child to Learn Moral Values

Catholic schools are not only for Catholic families. You may be surprised to know that  19.1% of students enrolled in Catholic schools  are non-Catholic. Regardless of your family’s faith background, your child can benefit from the moral values and civic responsibility they will learn and from the example of their teachers who can serve as positive role models.

You Are Looking for an Affordable Private School Option

One deterrent to sending children to private school is tuition. Public school can be a more attractive option because you have already paid for it with your taxpayer dollars. If you want to send your child to public school, but are concerned about cost, it’s helpful to know that Catholic schools can be more affordable than other private schools. Many dioceses and Catholic schools will help offset a parish family’s costs by offering financial assistance programs.

You Want Your Child to Learn and Grow in a Healthy Community

Finally, if you want your child to learn in a community that builds them up — not just as a student but as a person — Catholic school is an excellent choice. Catholic schools seek to foster a strong and healthy sense of community while helping your child develop as an individual. Being in a positive environment can help your student enjoy school and develop healthy self-esteem and respect for others which is one of many reasons why you may want to choose Catholic education.

The Importance of Catholic Education

At Catholic World Mission, education is one of our four pillars. That’s because we recognize the significant role that education can play around the world for helping people overcome poverty and other challenges, and for understanding themselves and the world around them better. That’s why we assist schools across the globe. Take a moment to  learn more about our education projects .

Check Out our Education Projects

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