If your son is going to attend a Catholic preparatory school next fall, then you might be interested in some of the subjects the school offers. A preparatory school is designed to get your child ready for college, so the curriculum will be heavily focused on traditional academics (as opposed to technical schools). As such, there probably won't be much focus on woodshop, electrical courses, and other such things. While most of the curriculum will be similar to secular preparatory schools, there are some differences in specific course offerings, both in terms of what classes are offered and what material is covered. Here's a brief overview of what to expect.
Latin
Until recently, the Mass was said in Latin. There are even some places where you can still hear a Latin mass. It's called the Tridentine Mass. Aside from this, Latin has a long history in the Church. It was used for documents for hundreds of years. So, Latin has a large cultural importance tied into the history of the Catholic tradition and it is almost always taught at Catholic prep schools. However, Latin is not confined to just Catholic prep schools. Many secular private schools also teach Latin. One reason is that Latin is the foundation for many of the Romance languages. It helps one later on if they wish to learn Italian or Spanish, for instance. The first year of Latin will cover fundamentals, and later on students might end up reading a classic in Latin (such as Virgil's Aeneid).
Christian Philosophy
Most prep schools will teach Plato and Aristotle. However, in a Catholic prep school, there is often time devoted to Christian philosophers such as Augustine and Aquinas. It's important to remember that the classics (Plato, Socrates, Descartes, and Kant) won't be skipped, but rather Christian philosophers will be included, in much the same way a Jewish school would supplement the classics with works by Maimonides and Buber.
Theology (With A Focus On The Church)
This is where there will be a big difference from secular prep schools. There will be a course focused solely on theology, and it will stress study of the Church. A freshman might study the Old Testament, and later the New Testament, and they will likely use the New American Bible, as opposed to the King James Version. Later on during his prep school years, after the introduction to the bible, the courses might delve more in-depth into topics such as Reformation, the succession of Popes, and an exegesis of the New Testament from modern Catholic scholars.
For more information, contact a school like Clear Lake Christian School.
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