Clearwater Central Catholic High School

2750 Haines Bayshore Road

Clearwater, FL 33760

17 Reviews

School District
Grade

9-12
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on December 09, 2022

Our child chose this school based on reputation, and we have been pleasantly surprised with it. Neither my husband or I are alumni, which does seem to be very important in the acceptance process. We did experience a bit of delay in our child's acceptance regardless of their top test scores and prior academic performance, but that was resolved through follow up with admissions.As with most schools, the quality of instruction varies by teacher. CCC does have some great ones, who not only know their subjects, but they are also kind and empathetic to the needs of their students. The clear priority at CCC is college acceptance. One of the surprising characteristics of the school was how welcoming it was to our child who did not attend one of the local Catholic middle schools. On their first day at school, many of the students introduced themselves and invited them to sit with them at lunch. The school does have friend groups, but they don't seem to have bullies. Sports are important at CCC. Do you need to play sports at CCC to enjoy your high school experience? No. Would it help you make friends? Sure. Are their other options to build peer relationships? Absolutely. Theater, arts, clubs, volunteering, study abroad trips and student council are also available and encouraged.Overall, we remain highly satisfied with our child's decision to attend CCC.
Submitted by parent on July 07, 2022

I was amazed at how unprofessional the admissions process is at this school. My son scored 90 on the entrance exam and had good grades. We scheduled a private tour and the admissions director told my son he "knocked it out of the park" on the entrance exam and was a shoe-in to be admitted. He even brought the principal out to meet him.Then friends of his with lower grades and lower entrance exam scores started getting letters of acceptance. My wife called and we were told this was because they took the entrance exam before my son. My wife called again a few weeks later and was told "other parents were more persistent than you" and "the squeaky wheel gets the grease."My wife reminded him of what he'd told us before and he said the admissions process wasn't necessarily based on merit. He didn't say it but I strongly suspect that rich kids are accepted first. It all worked out fine in the end because my son was admitted to Jesuit, which is a much better school anyway.
Submitted by parent on April 06, 2022

I’m going to try to make this as concise as possible so as to help others. The school has mostly good teachers. It is smaller which has benefits but also means less choices with classes etc. It has the same challenges in regard to behavior and students as other private and better public magnet programs in the area. My child is in all honors/IB classes, the workload is lighter than public IB, as one parent described it “It’s IB light”— that could be helpful if your child is not up to the very heavy workload and challenge in public IB. (I’ve had an older child at Largo IB and Osceola.). My personal recommendation is try to get into Osceola!! I would consider CCC on par with other private schools in the area and less desirable than a better magnet public programs—IB or Fundamental.
Submitted by other on July 21, 2020

Clearwater Central Catholic is a wonderful learning institution. I grew up attending Catholic schools since birth, and was excited to attend CCC for high school. For any reviews that state the curriculum is not difficult, perhaps you can enroll in the average public schools in the area, and compare. Numerous students I knew transferred from Palm Harbor University, Countryside High School, Clearwater High School, and East Lake to attend CCC. Once they enrolled at CCC, they stayed. Some reviewers here stated the classes seem too "easy." If this is the case for your student, I advise them to enroll in Honors, AP, or the IB program. These courses prepare you excellently for college. Obviously, there will be teachers who you enjoy, and others who you don't feel are the best, but that comes with any school. On a whole, this school has a wonderful learning environment, hardworking students (which encourages your student to push themselves to their fullest potential), and great teachers. This school is rooted in God; students often attend mass, chapel, and religion class at the school. I have never seen a fight break out, I have never seen a student talk back to a teacher, and have never seen a teacher treat a student poorly. These acts are not tolerated by the school, and any student unwilling to cooperate will see the principal and would get penalized for their actions, suspended, or expelled (depending on extremity of their wrongdoing). There is a 100% graduation rate, and I'd say ~90% of the students in my class (2016) went on to college and graduated from a 4 year institution (not only state schools, but Ivy League as well). *Advice to students and parents who are looking into CCC, take a tour of the school, go on their website, and see what the school has to offer, and you wont regret it! Go Marauders!
Submitted by parent on May 19, 2019

The school is overrated and not what it seems to be. Their main emphasis is on sports and mainly varsity football. Most JV teams and other sports teams are very underfunded and not really cared about by the administration, faculty, and coaches. Several teachers are inexperienced and academics are not that difficult. They have major problems attracting and keeping qualified and caring teachers.
Submitted by parent on August 20, 2018

Clearwater Central Catholic is an excellent school. We are so grateful to be a part of this family.
Submitted by student on August 11, 2018

Overall, CCC is unsatisfactory. It earns 3 starts because it barely is better than a public school. The absolute worst thing about this school is it’s uncaring and unhelpful administration. Not only are quality teachers effectively forced out by the administration’s unwillingness to work with them, but students are also made to feel as if their opinions do not count in the slightest unless their family is a big donor at the school. Student suggestions and ideas on creating clubs and organizing events are completely negated by a stagnant administration. As a result, little opportunity to develop interests and skills can be found here. There are few clubs and outlets for creativity. Overall, you should go to Tampa Prep or Berkeley instead.
Submitted by parent on September 30, 2017

Excellent experience for my 5 children. They all received an excellent education while being able to love their faith.
Submitted by parent on September 30, 2017

A top notch school with a faith filled environment and leadership and that encourages and enables each student to want to raise their own personal bar
Submitted by other on September 21, 2017

This is an excellent school! I would highly recommend this high school to all students. This school offers college preparatory classes, AP, and International Baccalaureate. There truly is a wonderful sense of community from both students and families.
Submitted by student on December 17, 2015

I am a transfer student from California in the 10th grade and came to CCCHS for a better education and a friendly environment. My experience so far has been the complete opposite. I've met the most shallow and rude people at this school and I do not feel welcomed AT ALL. My history teacher is actually a great teacher and I understand everything she says! However, my chemistry teacher in honestly incapable of teaching or controlling a class. Everybody makes mistakes of course -- but she makes an EXCESSIVE amount of mistakes and often the students in her class correct her! My English teacher lost my essay, which was also submitted on turnitin.com with a time stamp, and when she told me she never got my essay it was several weeks later so i printed it out and gave it to her. I ended up getting a 12/60 dropping my grade from an A to a 79%. I talked to the school counselor about it and she said she would talk to my teacher, it has been a week and we are taking midterms and there still has been no change in my grade. Students have been caught cheating and their parent have "made a donation" to the school and suddenly the entire incident is forgotten! The school i very corrupt because it is a private catholic school that doesn't have to follow the guidelines of the public school system. Never have I been so unhappy in school -- I used to look forward to learning new things and this school has made me lose that passion. I play a sport that I love and I have decided I will not be playing for the school next year because of the terrible 'sportsmen ship among my team and lack of coaching skills. It is sad that this school has changed me so much for the negative and I am no longer the happy, optimistic person i was before I attended to CCCHS. To sum it all up -- I am miserable at Clearwater Central Catholic High School and I have lost passion and love for the things that were most important to me. Instead of enjoying my high school experience, I find myself counting down the days that I have to spend in this horrible place.
Submitted by student on November 17, 2015

Pros: -courses are pretty good- teachers are mostly helpful- test scores are good (ACTS,SATS etc)Cons:- this is a very cliquey school. - Students are not always nice - International students from China are made fun of- staff is not up to par
Submitted by student on May 19, 2015

I graduated from CCC last year and it was the best four years of my life so far! The teachers are extremely involved and caring when it comes to the students; extra help was always offered when needed. I don't think I could've received a more well-rounded experience. Endless extracurricular and leadership opportunities were offered during my time that filled my college applications and helped mold me into a more polished professional. The students were very welcoming and kind so it was easy to make friends. I am very thankful for CCC!
Submitted by parent on July 12, 2013

My daughter just graduated from CCC and had a wonderful experience. She loved the IB program. The teachers are very devoted to the kids.
Submitted by parent on October 01, 2012

The school offers a great variety for my kids thru education and sports. I have enjoyed my time at CCC
Submitted by parent on August 06, 2012

I have a student who will be a senior this year. He has had a stellar education to this point. He is enrolled in the IB program, CCC is the only private school in Pinellas to have this program. He is very well rounded. He is in several sports and is on several committees and honer societies. The school has a very strong college graduation rate. I highly recommend this school. I do wish they had a stronger push towards missions.
Submitted by parent on June 11, 2012

Fantastic academic and sports programs! So glad we made the switch from public to CCC. This school is what education should be about: all students expected to go to college and the development of quality character traits.