Education at The Catholic University of America

A bachelor's in education from Catholic University carries an estimated $27,000 in debt—slightly above the national norm for teaching programs—against first-year earnings that peer programs suggest will land around $38,700. That's a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.70, meaning you'd owe roughly 8 months of gross salary, which sits in manageable territory for an entry-level teaching position. The challenge is that these figures come from comparable education programs nationwide, not from Catholic's actual graduate outcomes, so there's inherent uncertainty about what this specific program delivers.

Teaching salaries in DC public schools start considerably higher than the national median—often in the mid-$50,000s—which could make this investment more attractive than the estimated numbers suggest. However, Catholic's low Pell grant enrollment (17%) indicates a wealthier student body that may be less debt-sensitive, and the school's estimated debt figure doesn't account for students who borrow more or less than the median. If your child ends up working in lower-paying private schools or educational nonprofits instead of public systems, that $27,000 becomes harder to manage on starting salaries closer to the estimated figure.

The bottom line: This program's value depends heavily on where your child teaches after graduation. DC public schools could turn this into a solid investment, but without actual outcome data from Catholic's education grads, you're making assumptions based on what works elsewhere.