Queen of Angels Church & School-Dickinson, TX (SSPX)

The school has traditionally only been K-8 until the last four years or so. It has been determined it would be in the best interest of the boys to not have them at the high school because there is not enough personnel (men teachers for boys), but the girls can remain. Most of the families send the boys off to boarding school - LaSalette in Illinois and Syracuse in New York being the most popular. In the past they've sent them to St. Mary's, but not so much anymore. For those not wanting to do that, and there are plenty, the boys homeschool from that point forward oftentimes through Seton or OLVS. A few will go to private Christian schools and/or public school - but not very often for obvious reasons. (An awful lot of the children are homeschooled, and a few are public schooled, because the parents live too far away to send them to school there. Some of our parishioners, me included, drive an hour or more to attend mass. Attending school at that distance isn't even a possibility.)

As far as the quality of education, it depends on what you are looking for. I think that goes with any parents looking at putting their children in SSPX schools. You want kids raised with a good religious education? It's a great place to be. You want a possible vocation fostered? It's the right place. Is your emphasis on trying to get them into the MBA program at Harvard on a full scholarship? That may be a stretch - unless you do a lot of work on your own. The school did graduate three girls this year - 2 of which will attend junior college and another will attend a major university in Houston on a large scholarship.

I can tell you that the teachers at the school care an awful lot about the children and it shows. The daily environment, while not necessarily calm, (hey, there are kids involved here), is overall peaceful and a nice place to be. The priests are very involved and not only know the children by name but also know many of their strengths and weaknesses. They also teach at the school. Is there room for improvement? Most definitely. Are there problems? Sure. Every school has them and the SSPX schools are no exception. I think parents need to determine what are real problems for them and what they deem "workable distractions." What bothers one parent doesn't bother the next. Some parents are more interested in the religious formation over academics. Some are the opposite, the academics take precedence and the religious formation is secondary.

Feel free to PM me with further questions. I don't feel comfortable posting a lot of specifics to the board.

Also - don't forget you can always call the priest in charge there. He wants the school filled with children, and is more than happy to talk about the school.