...if private school is not an option and the good public schools are too crowded...

I am no expert but many people in the Gramercy area are happy with Epiphany.

There are. But likely not a good option for those using it as a safety fall back from a crowded public school. There are a number of very good Catholic schools for those looking for a traditional education where it's ok to have faith and believe in God. In fact, the Catholic schools offer some of the best education bargains in the city. But if you are offended by children singing Jingle Bells at holiday time, better keep it in the P.S.s.

Regis is the best Catholic high school in the city. It's Jesuit and located on UES, but it is all-boys. Admittance is through competitive exam and there is no tuition so that's a bargain you can't beat.

I actually think there are many good Catholic schools in the city. My husband has looked into this. I'll pick his brain for you.

There are no good Catholic schools any where. They are all underfunded. Staffed by the least talented. Follow an archaic curriculum and do not prepare your children for High School or University.

I am a graduate of the catholic school system. I have had to over come my education not be empowered by it.

Do you kid a favor and send them to a good non religious private school or public school

it is unacceptable to Catholic bash, even if you are one. keep it to yourself and then write something useful

LOL....wc_nyc, are you sure you want your children associated with the evil-doers?

"it is unacceptable to Catholic bash"

That's bashing? Dude - I made a joke. Chill.

On the private side, upper east, two great all girls schools, both K-12 Marymount and Sacred Heart.

Thumbs up for Regis and Sacred Heart (a.k.a Convent of the...). No personal knowledge of Marymount; its reputation is certainly good.

Marymount and Sacred Heart are private schools ($35K), not parochial schools. On the UES you have Loyola. Parochial school for roughly $8K.

sorry if i read you wrong stevejhx, perhaps im too sensitive

Sorry wc_nyc, hubby is claiming amnesia. I do recall him being very satisfied with the quality and reviews of many catholic/parochial schools in the city though.

anyone have any more detail other than X school is good? Thanks.

For boys I would recommend Xavier High School in Chelsea. Very impressive academically.
For girls, if she is extremely gifted, I would try go get into Dominican Academy, but it's very very selective. If just looking for a traditional high school, St. Vincent Ferrer.

Pete, it sounds as though you might be fighting some painful repressed memories of the "penguins" taking the switch to your bottom in front of the class.

Thanks all. My husband and I are both Catholics but we didn't grow up in NY.... Will do some more research, but it's great at least I have some names to start with now...Thanks again!

malthus, while there are some schools that may be 'good,' Regis is widely acknowledged as the 'academic flagship' school of the NYC Catholic school system.

i'm told St Josephs on UES/Yorkville is quite good

Are there similar school catchment areas for non-private catholic schools, i.e. do you have to live within certain blocks of the school in order to get in? I assume so...

I wonder that too wc_nyc. My best guess is that preference goes to members of the parish, then perhaps a lottery system??? Not sure if home address is relevant or not.

FWIW, the elementary school at our parish claims first preference to siblings of currentely enrolled students, 2nd pref to Catholic students whose parents belong to the parish, 3rd pref to Catholic students whose parents belong to another Catholic parish, and 4th pref to non-Catholic students.

I suspect many schools maintain this policy.

I would check out the curriculum yourself – each school varies widely. I went to Catholic school (not in NYC) and we were not indoctrinated too much in the not-so-great parts of Catholicism. It was all-girls and we still had sex ed, learned about birth control, and 100% of my class went off to colleges like Stanford and Berkeley. In addition, the community service requirement was one of the greatest assets of my high school education. I hope to find the same for my imaginary future daughter. If we have sons, they will go to a Jesuit institution.

uwsmom , that sounds about right. I went to a Catholic school (outside the US) but it worked like the way you said.
I agree lookingforhome - I was on some website, read a review on a catholic school (forgot which one it was) where a parent was complaining about his/her kid having 3 religion classes every week...

You can go to insideschoools.org or UrbanBaby for lots of info on NYC schools. For parachiol schools:
1) Elementary:
St. Ignatius Loyola and Epiphany are the best. They are a bargain but not at all easy to get in to. The order of accepts is generally as uwsmom outlines. Epiphany is more liberal (believe it or not there is a fairly large GLBT community of parents within it) and similar to many privates. People love it. St. Ignatius a bit more traditional but very esteemed. There are plenty of other good parish schools throughout the city but those are the best. (Marymount and Sacred Heart are Catholic but not parish schools so are as expensive as other privates.)
2) High School:
Regis is the best. But your child has to be male, baptized, and a star. It's an IVY feeder and free so you have to test very well to get in and show some community involvement.
Xavier is good as well, also all boys. A feeder to West Point, Georgetown, BC, Notre Dame and some kids go Ivy.
Loyola is a very good co-ed.
Dominican the best all girls option.

If you want your child to go to Catholic school your best best is to join your parish and try to get them in at the preschool level. It is a great buy in the long run.

for elementary years..ues ...St. Josephs Yorkville is a good school. pre- k -8th...then of course Regis is great........I think it is a undiscovered gem...for the price and education....very small...nice environment one class per grade...

highly recommend Regis... I got accepted but didn't attend :)

wc_nyc...are you looking for elementary-middle...or high school?

ap2492, I guess I'm interested in both. Planning for a kid but don't know if boy or girl yet. Just wanted to get an idea of where the good schools are.

What about Blessed Sacrament on the UWS?

St. Davids School on 89th and 5th Ave (all boys) and Convent of the Sacred Heart on 91st and 5th (all girls) are considered to be the elite Catholic schools in the city. They are private however financial aid are not impossible to receive.

You forgot Marymount on 84th and Fifth. The third private catholic school.

we didn't forget, Marymount and Sacred Heart were mentioned 22 hrs ago. But, were dismissed by uppereast because of cost and not being parochial. Yet they are Catholic private schools, if not parochial

Thanks for original question and all the comments. Anyone have any input on catholic schools downtown (e.g. Our Lady of Pompeii)? How about other religious schools like St. Luke in the Field?

Epiphany has already been mentioned. My information is old, but in the past they strongly encouraged children to enter at the pre-K level, which can be kind of nice because you get the hassle over with early and if it doesn't work out you have another year to try.

I knew a woman who worked at Our Lady, and sent her children there, including a special-needs child. She wasn't the type to cheat her children to save some money, and spoke very highly of the school (and she had experienced one of those prototypical nightmare Catholic school experiences growing up herself).

St.Luke's is K-8, no? I've heard some complaints. Also old info, but a few parents I knew didn't think the school did such a good job of placement, and one in particular complained that the school, in about 6th grade, tried to steer the kids into classes that they would do well in, not allowing much experimentation or risk, so that the grades would be higher for the outplacement process.

There's also Grace Church. A few years ago I wouldn't have considered it an option, but I've heard it's worth a second look these days.

Yeah, I knew they would delete my joke. Damn!

That's interesting, stevejxh. Didn't know they censor this board.

Grace Church is 1) not catholic and 2) highly selective. It's viewed as very traditional so not for everyone but it's not easy to get in to.

hurting, malthus asked about other religous schools, that's why i brought up Grace Church. St. Luke's isn't Catholic, I believe. Maybe Episcopal?

No one seems to remember St. David's, but I went to lower and middle school there and I absolutely loved it. It's also got fantastic placement in high schools if you're concerned about that sort of thing.

Regis is also a great place to go for high school, and all of those kids seemed to have their heads on their shoulders to my memory.

imshop124 - very informally, i've seen/heard good things about Blessed Sacrament - small class size, great teachers, great curriculum...

they also have pre-k starting at age 3.