No catholic school will refuse a practicing catholic family's child on the basis of not being able to afford it. You should enquire discretely about what provisions can be made if you genuinely want a catholic education but are having a monetary shortfall. Part of the reason for the fees is because, realistically, some families subsidise other families who are not able to pay the same amount.

My DD1 has been in both school systems. She did reception in the catholic school, then we moved interstate into a public school, then back into the catholic school this year. So far she is much happier and positive in the catholic school. She says the children are kinder and nicer there, whereas there were problems in the public school with one-up-manship and social exclusion (a particular group of girls set the tone unfortunately). The uniform is an equaliser. Also, they seem a bit stricter at the catholic schools - over little things - like not writing on your arms, no graffiti on your stationery, making sure you finish your set-work/homework, keeping your workspace tidy. These are all important skills but were not really given any emphasis in the public school. The other thing I prefer here (and it could be because the catholic school is either bigger or better funded) there are more specialist teachers. So it means that music, computing, information literacy etc are all taught to a higher standard.

I have another friend who put her children into catholic school last year after much soul searching. She says she can't believe the difference it has made on her kids' confidence. They are treated as individuals by the teachers and the general feeling in the classroom is more ordered and supportive.

Hope that helps with your decision.