Why are there so many non-Catholic students in London's Catholic high schools?

Nearly half of Grade 9 students at the region's Catholic high schools didn't go to a London District Catholic School Board elementary school, data obtained by CBC News shows. 

Which elementary schools students those students went to isn't available, but enrolment documents show 40 per cent of Grade 9 students at Catholic high schools this year came from "other boards," which could be private or home schools, public or Catholic schools from outside the region, or the Thames Valley District School Board. 

The London District Catholic School Board requires elementary students to be Catholic, but not high school students. In the 2024/2025 school year, 1,003 out of 2,453 Grade 9 students came from other boards. 

"Many families and students feel there is something unique and special about an educational environment that has faith and spiritual growth at the heart of academic and social learning," Catholic school board officials said in a statement. They declined requests for an interview about the subject, as did Gabe Pizzuti, the chair of the board of trustees. 

Families send their kids to Catholic high schools for a variety of reasons, including if a school is closer to their home than a public high school, or if a program is available there that isn't at a public high school. Some Catholic high schools have better reputations than public ones, parents told CBC News. 

Where students choose to go to high school is important because school boards get funded for every student they enrol — students who go to Catholic high schools after going to public elementary schools take provincial funding with them. The London District Catholic School Board is the fastest-growing board in the province. 

But the Thames Valley District School Board is dealing with a $16 million deficit, partly because 820 fewer than expected students enrolled at public schools this year. Public school board officials say that's an $8.7 million funding shortfall. 

Public school board trustees recently grilled staff about where those students who didn't come to Thames Valley schools are going but were told that data doesn't exist. 

"I am deeply concerned about any loss of TVDSB students to our co-terminus boards. We have an excellent school board with school staff that work tirelessly to support student achievement and well-being," said trustee Marianne Larsen. "Data must always drive our decision-making.  If we are losing students, then we need to determine why and do all we can to support and retain them in our system." 

Larson was speaking as a trustee, not on behalf of the board. Thames Valley chair of the board Beth Mai did not respond to requests for comment. 

There's a perception that Catholic high schools are stronger academically, said Hassan Mostafa, a London dad whose three kids went to the London Islamic School for elementary school. His oldest graduated from the public Lucas Secondary School but the two youngest go to the St. Andre Bessette (SAB) Catholic Secondary School. 

Family values

"Lucas is our neighbourhood school. I'm from London and I went to Central and my sister went to Lucas. But we made the choice to switch to SAB for my two youngest because the proximity saves us a little bit of time, but mostly because the family values and overall values of the Catholic board align better with our family and the Muslim community," Mostafa said. 

It's common for about half of the graduating Grade 8 class at the Islamic School to go to SAB, he added. "It's definitely a preferred option for the community. They have Muslim Student Associations, they have prayer rooms for kids."  

"I can't say objectively, but subjectively we feel the Catholic education is a little bit deeper and stronger. For example, right now my kids in Grade 9 and 10 are studying for exams, whereas in the public board they don't do exams in Grade 9 and 10," Mostafa said. 

The public board also hasn't built a new high school since 1972, when Saunders Secondary School opened. The Catholic board, meanwhile, opened SAB in 2013.

"The Catholic schools are newer, they're better built. The infrastructure is much better. Those new facilities can add to make a better experience," Mostafa said.  

School boundaries matter, mom says

Students have to take religion courses, and while some Muslim parents opt out of that, many want their kids to learn about other religions such as Catholicism, he said. "Problems exist at every high school but when the curriculum and the school environment has a religious undertone, there's a bit of a different feel." 

The Thames Valley board recently redrew some boundaries that changed which high schools students would have to go to, an effort to distribute students more equally among its schools for a chance at funding to build more schools. But that's also forced some families to think about sending their kdis to Catholic high schools. 

Mom of three Erma Schadenberg will send her two youngest kids to a Catholic high school. Her eldest graduated from the French immersion program at Banting Secondary School, but her Grade 8 daughter will go to Mother Teresa Secondary School (MTS)  next year because the alternative is Clarke Road Secondary School for a newly-created French immersion program there. 

The family comes from a protestant Christian background, and Schadenberg wants a focus on academics that she worries Clarke Road couldn't deliver, she said.

Clarke Road offers the same courses and extra-curriculars as other high schools in the region, as well as a robust technology program.  

But the Catholic MTS was much more tolerant and open than she imagined, Shadenberg said.  

"When I went to the open house at MTS I noticed they had groups for students from other religions like Muslim students, and they're very big on social justice. Their library had LGBTQ-friendly novels so it eased my initial concerns about sending her to a Catholic school," she said. 

Many families with Grade 8 kids at Louise Arbour French Immersion Public School are sending their kids to Catholic high schools instead of sending them to Clarke Road, Schadenberg said. 

In their written statement, the Catholic board said it "believes that the faith-filled experiences offered to our students on a daily basis on their learning journey will help equip them not only with knowledge and skills, but also values, attitudes and actions that help guides them their entire lives."