Choosing a high school is a big decision — we know that.
We also know that at this point in your high school decision process, you are likely weighing the very same questions that generations of Feehan families have weighed before you. Maybe you’re unsure — for one or multiple reasons — if Feehan is the right school for you or your student.
We thought we’d take just a moment to tackle four of the most common worries of parents and students:
"We're just not sure that we can afford a private school tuition."
This is a very real concern for many families. Feehan’s tuition is $12,450 this year and typically goes up by a few hundred dollars annually. We know that is a major commitment for all of our families.
Of course, we think that investment is worth it, but we also know that many families need help to make a Feehan education possible. Did you know that more than 250 Feehan students receive financial aid help each year? Or that Feehan provides more than $1 million in aid annually. Or that Feehan’s tuition is by far the lowest of any private high school in the region? Our tuition rate and our financial aid program both reflect our commitment to making Feehan accessible for the students this school was built to serve.
If finances are your concern, our advice is: apply for admission, apply for financial aid, and let’s have a conversation at the right time about what may be possible. Each and every year, we graduate amazing students who got through Feehan thanks to financial help from our generous alumni and supporters. That’s a very special part of our Feehan tradition.
Click here for our financial aid information and process.
“I won’t know anyone” or “All my friends are going to a different school.”
This is clearly and understandably the number one concern of many students. Entering a new school can be scary, and the comfort of (existing) friends is real.
What can we tell you? A few things:
1) Our average retention rate with students is 96%, meaning the kids who come to Feehan, stay at Feehan and do really well. Our systems and warm, welcoming community are specifically designed to make the transition smooth. Our students wouldn’t stay and be so happy with Feehan, if making friends wasn’t a big part of the process;
2) It’s important to take the long-term perspective. Yes, 8th grade friends mean a lot. But experience tells us that 12,000 Feehan grads have come to Holcott Drive (all probably a bit scared) and made fantastic, life-long friends here in Feehan’s halls.
Better yet, watch what Feehan senior Billy Oram had to say about this very topic in this video:
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“Our student is not the top of his class and sometimes needs extra academic help — Feehan is only for academic superstars.”
Feehan is a school for great kids who want to learn and get ready for college. We have multiple levels of learners and multiple levels of supports, starting with amazing teachers who give the personal attention and extra help needed for all of our kids to thrive.
Truth: We have an entrance exam, but there is no passing or failing score. Each year, we accept students with lower scores on the entrance exam, and sometimes students with higher exam scores are not accepted. We look for the totality of an application.
Truth: All of the kids we accept can and do thrive at Feehan.
Truth: Our relatively new Academic Resource Center with a full-time teacher, focused only on providing extra supports to students who need those, makes all of this even more clear.
Our Principal, Mr. Sean Kane, offers a terrific perspective on this in this video:
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“Feehan is “too Catholic” for us”...or...“We may not be Catholic enough for Feehan”
Our final worry. Yes, Feehan is proudly and enthusiastically a Catholic school. We pray, and we believe that a complete life and a complete education involve faith and asking the most important questions around meaning and God.
But you should also know that each year at least 25% of our entering class is not Catholic, and — like our Catholic Church as a whole — we have a whole variety of practicing Catholics in our school. We do hope and believe that every student who comes to Feehan will leave here closer to God and with an understanding of the most important goals in life.
Students of all faiths — and Catholics at all places in their relationship with the Church — come to Feehan and thrive.
Our school chaplain, Fr. Jack Schrader, offers his perspective on this question here:
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Would you like to discuss these issues more? Or do you have other concerns?
Please reach out to us, and we will be happy to have those discussions or connect you with folks who can share their experiences. We know Feehan will be a terrific lifetime home for the Class of 2025.
Lynn Gale, Director of Admissions
[email protected] | 508-226-1731