At Commonweal, Christopher Connell has a fine review of Anthony D. Andreassi's Teach Me to Be Generous: The First Century of Regis High School in New York City.
As many readers know, Regis is one of four Jesuit high schools in New York City and, as Connell notes, is "the sole tuition-free Jesuit high school in America." Connell writes:
Regis, from the start, attracted top boys from parochial schools across the city and beyond, and became known for the rigor of its then classic-heavy curriculum -- four years of Latin and two of Greek for all -- and for what a former scholastic called its high "mortality rate." In the first two decades fewer than half graduated. But Charles Taylor, SJ, in a 1938 master's thesis, lauded the school for upholding the Jesuit tradition of educating the "natural, intellectual aristocracy." Attrition was once common policy at Jesuit high schools. Now even Regis has abandoned it, substituting extensive counseling, tutoring, and mentoring to help students stay the course.
How has Regis been able to offer tuition-free education? See Connell's review for this and more.
