PARK SLOPE — When Ramya Ramakrishnan and her husband, Tanuj Palvia, were deciding where to send their daughter, Sahaana, and son, Rohan, to school, all it took was one visit to Saint Saviour Catholic Academy in Park Slope to convince the couple it was the right fit. 

“It was a really sweet school community that appealed to us,” Ramakrishnan recalled. 

So, she and her husband enrolled Sahaana and Rohan (and later their youngest child, Shahil). They said they are happy they chose a Catholic education for their children — even though they are not Catholic. 

Ramakrishnan, who is Hindu, said she and her husband, who is Jain, have found that the academy’s warm, welcoming atmosphere, rigorous academics, and strong moral code are providing a solid foundation for their kids. 

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“Our value structure is that we want our kids to learn, as any parent does — empathy, gratitude, service, charity, and to respect all cultures, all religions,” said Ramakrishnan, a nephrologist at New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. “And we have found that at Saint Saviour.” 

Their two sons, Rohan, 11, and Shahil, 7, are in fifth and second grade, respectively. Sahaana, 12, attended Saint Saviour for several years and now attends Xaverian’s Genesis Program, a middle school offering at Xaverian High School in Bay Ridge.  

Ramakrishnan and Palvia are not the only non-Catholics choosing a Catholic education for their children. Far from it, in fact. 

Principal Matthew Artigas estimated that 40% of Saint Saviour’s students are not Catholic. The student body includes Muslims and Jews, he said, adding, “We have students from all walks of life.” 

The administration and the teachers strive “to make it as welcoming as we can for everybody,” Artigas said. 

However, while students of all religions are welcome, Saint Saviour is, at its core, a Catholic school, he explained. For example, he noted that all students must study Catholicism in religion class. 

The high percentage of non-Catholic students is due to several factors, including the diversity of the surrounding Park Slope neighborhood, Artigas said. 

Word of mouth is also a factor, he explained, adding that many parents work at New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital and tell colleagues how much they like the academy.  

“Mom or dad drops the child off and then goes to work at the hospital across the street,” he said. 

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Talking to her colleagues at the hospital is how Ramakrishnan learned of Saint Saviour’s solid reputation. “And now if anyone at work asks me for a school recommendation, I tell them Saint Saviour,” she said. 

The religious diversity found at Saint Saviour is also reflected in schools across the Diocese of Brooklyn, said Ted Havelka, director of enrollment management. He estimated that 30% of students in the diocese’s 64 elementary schools are not Catholic. 

“Families from diverse religious backgrounds are drawn to Catholic schools not only because of our rigorous academic education but because of, not in spite of, the Catholic values taught there,” he said. “These values instill strong moral character and create a family environment for each of our students.”  

Ramakrishnan has found that family environment.  

“My husband and I are very pleased because our children are happy,” she said.