Sectarian schools are schools that are associated with a particular faith or religion and/or are integrated with life in a faith community. Secular schools are defined as those that do not meet this criterion. Although all public schools in the United States are secular, there are also many sectarian schools.
Sectarian schools promote their associated faith tradition or belief system, as well as teaching academic subjects in the context of the faith’s values. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are the three main faiths in the United States with associated sectarian schools.
Occasionally, sectarian schools can be identified their names. Christian schools frequently include a saint’s name in their name, but be wary of schools like St. Lawrence University, which is named after its location on the St. Lawrence River. Yeshivas are Jewish religious schools. And Islamic schools are known as madrasahs, a term with numerous English transliterations.
The ways in which sectarian schools incorporate faith-based concepts and values into their curriculum differ. When it comes to math, science, English, social studies, and foreign language, Christian school departments and course offerings often resemble those of a secular school. However, there is frequently an additional department for religion, as well as a yearly course in that subject area, in addition to the regular course load. Bible study is frequently available.
Jewish schools may combine Jewish studies with general studies such as English, math, science, and history. Alternatively, they could concentrate solely on Jewish studies, which would include Talmud, Tanakh, Hebrew, and Jewish history courses.
Although some Islamic schools are connected to mosques, this is not always the case. While there are non-denominational Islamic schools, there are also schools associated with specific Islamic sects, such as Sunni, Shia, or Jafari, and Sufi. Islamic sectarian schools frequently offer the same subjects as secular schools, with the addition of Quranic studies, Islamic studies, and foreign languages not typically found in secular schools, such as Arabic or Persian.