Eighth graders face the question of where to go to high school: some get to choose while others do not. Students who go to a catholic middle school, like St. Patrick’s or St. Vincent de Paul, have to pick where they want to attend. In a public school district students are assigned to a high school by where they live, while many catholic school kids continue on the private school route, but some choose to go to public high school.
Students will go to a catholic school their whole life yet choose to attend a pubic high school once they get the chance. Many kids want a brand new start when they become a freshman because they believe public schools are easier.
“I think catholic school prepares you better for the upcoming years of high school rather than public schools,” junior Gena Story said. “Everything I learned in my 8th grade year I also learned my freshman year.”
In a catholic middle school, classes are about 35 minutes, where the teacher has enough time to teach their lesson. The amount of homework they receive builds each year as they become older. The homework load is tough on students, and piles up when they participate in extracurricular activities, but once those students get into high school they are very prepared for the homework load and can learn at a fast pace.
Going from knowing everyone in middle school to transitioning to high school where there are more people can make it hard to find an alike group to fit into. Private middle schools are so small that all the students know each other and build close bonds because they have gone to school together since kindergarten. In public middle schools however, there are more students so they don’t know nearly as many people.
“My kids know everyone in their grade and in their building,” math teacher Erin Kasner said. “It feels more like a community at their school versus here.”
A big high school could be seen as intimidating if someone comes from a smaller catholic school.
A key difference between public and private school is class size. In Class A public high schools there are about 300 plus students in each graduating class. These students feed in from multiple different middle schools that have 120 or more students in a class, whereas in private high schools, class size is around 150 or less.
The shift from a private middle school to public high school can frighten students. It is nerve racking to come into a school where everyone is unknown, and making new friends and trying out for sports or clubs can also be a scare.
“Elkhorn North gave me a bigger opportunity to meet more people,” sophomore Avery Crom said.
Not only is the jump from middle school to high school already a challenge, but the switch from private to public adds on. A big difference seen from public and private is religion. In private schools the students go to church every week and have a religion class everyday, but in public schools there is no religion class or prayer.
“I went to St Pats and the switch was hard,” Crom said. “It was so different not having to go to church or talk about religion.”
Despite the way middle schools grade, all high schools will have different grade scales. Schools like Bellevue, Millard, Westside, and Creighton Prep have a 10-point grade scale. Others have a smaller, 7-point scale, like Elkhorn Public Schools and Skutt Catholic. This scale can put more pressure and stress on students to attain higher grades.
Even though change is hard for many people, it is good to make decisions that challenge people. Change is scary but it can bring so many good opportunities, especially when transitioning from private to public school.
