MAKING THE LONG COMMUTE

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June 1, 2025

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

Many of Notre Dame Prep's families sacrifice time (and car expenses) to travel a long way to school. They say it's well worth it.

Today, there are about 100,000 public schools in the U.S., and even though schools of choice are erasing many school district borders, a vast majority of public school students continue to reside in the districts in which their schools operate. 

For private and independent schools, there is no such residency requirement or standard, even though convenience and where one lives continue to factor into where parents choose which private schools to send their children. Notre Dame Preparatory School is no different in that most school families live within about 10-15 miles of the campus in Pontiac.

But for a surprisingly large number of NDP parents, location is not necessarily one of the considerations at all in choosing a school for their children. In fact, students at NDP live in nearly 60 different cities and townships throughout metro Detroit with some traveling in excess of 50 miles one way to get to classes, while passing many other private and Catholic schools in the process.

School administration officials hear it time and time again from parents: Their kids go to Notre Dame Prep simply because it's a great school with a stellar reputation — and they're willing to make those long commutes because they want the best for their children.

We recently conducted a quick study of where our NDP families live and put together a graphic (above) that visually shows what we've found. We also listed below those cities and towns that were used to create the graphic. 

We believe this is yet another demonstration affirming the value of an NDP education. It's also confirmation that people will travel a long way to experience what is summarized so well by the school's mission: "Notre Dame Preparatory School works with God to form Christian people, upright citizens and academic scholars."

WHERE DO WE LIVE?

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

About Notre Dame Preparatory School
"At Notre Dame Prep, we inspire our students to become the best versions of themselves. We challenge them through an experience of academic excellence, focused on active, project-based learning. We invite them to explore a world of opportunities beyond the classroom. We guide them as they grow in spirituality within a community strong in its Catholic and Marist identity."

Notre Dame Preparatory School is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School's upper school enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame Prep's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDP is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.