St. John Bosco Catholic School

The school talks about educating the "whole child." That has definitely been my experience! They learn, practice their faith, participate in community service and enjoy tons of extra curricular activities. From our experience, it is not something that you can get at public school or even other private schools. The academics are challenging and the faculty is great. What impresses me the most is the parent involvement. It's one big community where all the families know each other and participate in the education of the children.
—Submitted by a parent

St. John Bosco is a wonderful school that is truly committed to educating the whole child in a caring environment of academic excellence. The school has reasonable class sizes, utilizes instructional assistants to help facilitate center-based learning for math and language in the younger grades, and employs both a math and literacy coach. When you step onto the campus, you are warmly greeted by students and staff and the facilities are clean and well-maintained. My entire family is active in the school community and there is a wealth of opportunities to serve others through volunteer and other opportunities. The Catholic school environment, with its focus on faith and academics is worth a visit to find out more!
—Submitted by a parent

Class sizes are unbelievably high, and no consistency with use of the aides at the school. My child used to have a full time aide but suddenly ths year the administration has done away with having an aide in each lower grade class, instead throwing them around campus to help upper grade teachers - are you kidding me?? This is disappointng and insulting as a parent, the extra help in those large classes is vital with younger children. It's what made me switch from public to private initially. You're better off sending your child to the local public schools. The administration needs to change. There are some great teachers at this school, but NOT worth the tuition as I'm beginning to realize.
—Submitted by a parent

I have one child who stated at St. John Bosco in kindergarten, graduated and was accepted at every school to which he applied. He is in honors and AP classes at a local Catholic school. His peers from St. John Bosco are in similar classes. The conclusion I draw from this is that the school did, indeed, prepare my son and his peers for high school. The teachers do care....a great deal. They are supportive but they did not coddle him. They forced him to take ownership and responsibility for his education. There were times when they took a hard line to teach my son about discipline, wortk ethic and integrity. I cannot argue with this approach. My child, a product of a St. John Bosco education, is a responsible, kind, contributing member of society. This is due, in part, to his St. John Bosco education. I recognize that St. John Bosco is not perfect. However, I'm quite sure no other school is perfect either. St. John Bosco is a good choice if you want to raise a child who recognizes his/her God-given gifts, uses them to potential, and grows up to share them with the world.
—Submitted by a parent

Great school! Teachers are friendly and the parents are active in the school! I'm also impressed with my son's knowledge of the catechism.
—Submitted by a parent

I meant to say for Science my daughter was so grateful for the amount of work that the Science teacher had her do.
—Submitted by a parent

I agree, Bosco is a lovely community. I wish I could say that alone was worth the tuition dollars. Some teachers are wonderful, some are downright rude. Bosco needs to educate the faculty on how to send an email to students and parents that doesn't reek of irritation and condescension. I only rarely contact the teacher if needed, and from the first this was the tone I was met with. My older child emailed his science teacher a question, and the reply was curt and rude. In my studies I routinely contacted various educators of mine with questions through the completion of my post graduate degree, never was a question met with such disdain. This is K-8 folks, not a PhD program. Kids should be able to feel comfortable enough to communicate with their teachers. I'm actually paying you for this.
—Submitted by a parent

Inconsistent teaching quality from grade to grade and poor leadership. The one saving grace is the lovely sense of community.

Bosco is very hit or miss with the quality of the teachers from grade to grade. The curriculum is not at all rigorous. Too much attention (three full months) in science is paid to the annual science fair project as opposed to first learning the concepts that would enable the student to understand their selected topic. As an example, the teacher handed out a list of suggested topics, one included testing ph levels. Not once in science have they learned ph, acids and bases. The Spanish program needs an overhaul. Don't expect that upon leaving Bosco your child will have any remote chance of learning conversational Spanish, or being able to enter high school above entry level Spanish. It just won't happen unless you supplement the education. I can't in good faith recommend this school. Your child's education would be far better served at a private prep school or more advanced charter school.
—Submitted by a parent

Many of these reviews sound like the principal wrote. The verbiage is shockingly similar to promotional materials for SJB. I was a student at SJB, and there were good points. The community of students is clickish, but mostly a good group of kids. There are many school opportunities to participate in extracurriculars. Parents are always helpful and involved. The school feels safe, it's definitely a secure campus. Now for the downside. When I left SJB I had made principal's honor roll every year since 4th grade (95% or better for GPA). When I got to high school, what a wake up call. I felt like I spent weeks playing catch up in math in my honors class. Science wasn't as bad. My recollection of SJB is they spend too much time trying to conform students into Stepford-behaved students. That's coming from a student who didn't have behavior problems. Some teachers were rigid to the point of being unapproachable if you had a problem. Any classroom problem or miscommunication was always and necessarily the fault of the student, and teachers were often unwilling to listen. Better schools are out there, schools that nurture you into a self reliant, successful individual.

What an incredible experience we have had at SJB. The administration and teachers really respond to each child as an individual. The new assessment system is amazing! Ensuring academic growth in every child. The love and support on campus is contagious, not to mention an amazing safe, community all working towards the same goals.
—Submitted by a parent

My 2 children feel loved at their school, and we know they are learning to be well-rounded in academics, faith, and friendship.
—Submitted by a parent

St. John Bosco is an excellent school! There is a great sense of community because of the great teachers and incredible parent involvement. I would definitely recommend SJB to families looking for "more" for their child's education.
—Submitted by a parent

St. John Bosco is an excellent school with our Catholic faith at the core and the dedication of highly qualified teachers and staff. Along with a quality education, our children are taught respect, generosity, and care for each other while building their own self-confidence and leadership. We love it!

Our child just finished Kindergarten this year at SJB and we couldn't have been happier with the experience. Her teacher was dedicated, happy, spiritual and really cared about the well-being and learning of her students. Our child was challenged appropriately in all subject areas and was excited to go to school each day.
—Submitted by a parent

I am updating my post from 2 years ago, because I am still thrilled with the education my younger kids are getting. I truly believe that both Catholic elementary and HS will help prepare my kids to better individuals all around. My daughter was accepted at both the schools she applied to. Her close friends/classmates are doing very well at the school she attends, as are her friends at the boys and girls high school. One semester out of SJB and her grades resulted in her making 1st Honor Roll. I am personally very pleased and happy my kids attend SJB. I love the small school environment, and I like that I am encouraged to be involved!
—Submitted by a parent

St. John Bosco is a school in much need of an administration change and I agree that a child is so much more than a test score. With that said how can a childs needs really me met when they are cramming 35 kids in a class. There is no possible way that any child can thrive emotionally or academically. I felt that my children were not given a chance to thrive above their grade level. The school teaches staight to the middle of each grade. Nothing more and nothing less. If you have a child that you feel needs more academically this is not the school for you. Many families this yr had to go to the administration for different reasons and changes have not been made. Families are afraid to speak up but are afraid of retaliation towards their kids. As a teacher myself I don't think this is an environment that best suits my children.
—Submitted by a parent

After reading some of the negative reviews, I find myself thankful for the experience that we have had at SJB. I taught in public school, so I know what else is out there. My children love school, are challenged academically, but more importantly, they are becomming great people. SJB doesn't "teach" them good character traits, they model it and expect it from Pre-K to 8th Grade. There is no doubt in my mind that my children will grow up to be well educated, good, and caring people because of their SJB foundation. The reason that I gave SJB 4 stars instead of 5 is because it doesn't currently have an asst. principal. I think they need one to help balance the administration and handle discipline issues. My child's class was one that had 35 students in it (not all classes are that big, some only have 25), and some of them needed a good "talking to" from the administration.
—Submitted by a parent

St. John Bosco is a small, close knit, caring and nurturing community that supports students, families and staff. The rich catholic traditions are woven into the daily life of the students. I believe that another positive attribute is that children are disciplined with religious values intertwined. The faculty's focus is to develop the whole child with love and guidance to becoming a life long learner. I love that the teachers are dedicated to continue to improve the children's education through staff development. They are supported by the principal who shows great dedication to SJB.
—Submitted by a parent

SJB for our family has everything we want for our children: quality teachers, academics, values, strong community and Catholic education. Our children love school and it shows year after year as they grow and develop. They are challenged academically, encouraged emotionally and supported entirely. The administration and teachers are all committed to meeting the needs of each child. We have not been disappointed. We know that when our children graduate they are going to be well prepared for high school and beyond. Take an opportunity to talk to other families. It is a dynamic school that offers both academics and Catholic values. If you are looking for a school that will take the time to get to know your child beyond their student number, look no further. We feel blessed to have our children be a part of this loving, supportive, thriving community.
—Submitted by a parent