Bishop Machebeuf Catholic High School

We transferred our daughter in from another high school last year and we couldn't be happier with the move. At Machebeuf, our daughter is challenged to grow intellectually, spiritually, physically, and emotionally. At other schools, she may have gotten the academics, but not have her faith formation reinforced by the teachers and administration. The Catholic identity here is strong and faithful to the magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church. My daughter commutes an hour and fifteen minutes each way to go to this wonderful school and we're planning to send all the rest of our six kids here. Oh, one more thing... Dominican sisters is traditional habits...
—Submitted by a parent

We are a transfer in family coming from Regis. It has been an absolute joy to be a part of the Machebeuf family this year. The solid leadership and the teaching staff create an environment of strength and focus. We have found it to be a positive reenforcement to the catholic values that our family hears from home and church... It is not a catholic school in the name only like so many of the high schools in the area. My teens have learned more about their faith here and see a faculty that is living it out everyday with them. We are thankful to have found Machebeuf and plan on sending all of our children there...even though it is a 45 minute drive one way. I think that tells a lot.
—Submitted by a parent

High turnover in teachers. This school seems more concerned with the dress code than academics. Some of the best and most experienced teachers have been let go. It's no wonder this school was dropped from the Top 50 Catholic High School list. College Counselor consistently drops the ball when sending college transcripts.
—Submitted by a parent

There has been a large turnover in the staff and faculity. Several of the best have not come back. There is obvious tension between the teachers and the administration.

We have 2 children currently enrolled in the school. We have been extremely please with the support and opportunities that the kids have had. I am amazed that some people get hung up on uniforms etc. The older information on this site does not represent the current environment. The current principal and staff have been in place for 3-4 years and have made great progress in enrolling quality students with involved parents. Our only complaint with the school is that we wish a few more families would find it so that it was just a bit bigger for the kids that want to be more competitive in sports! We highly recommend it to all!
—Submitted by a parent

I cannot say enough good things about this school. My daughter transferred in as a junior, and had a difficult time adjusting. The staff could not have been more helpful and caring. I spent many hours at the school with different staff members including the counseling staff, principal and individual teachers, all of whom offered encouragement and help for what was admittedly a very difficult student. I credit Bishop Machebeuf for helping my daughter survive and actually graduate from high school. She is now a sophmore in college and is doing well.
—Submitted by a parent

The schools focus is on dress code rather than academics. Staff/Administration is cold and uncaring. Not a christian environment.
—Submitted by a parent

Being a sophomore at BMHS, I find this school to be quite bellow average for what they call a 'College Preparatory School'. At times I feel that I am relearning some of the material. The extracurricular activities at this school aren't that great (such as drama, choir, etc.), except for sports. Several times I look around our classrooms and see that about half of the class is messing around or sleeping/not listening to a teachers lectures on how we don't listen or how we aren't ever going to college. The discipline there is quite absurd as well. I've seen countless students go to the Principle or Dean because of dress code violation (wearing a non-school sweatshirt or hoddie, shirt un-tucked, or no belt) and not enough for disrupting another students studies with tomfoolery in the class. One good note, I believe that they are good in teaching about the Catholic religion.
—Submitted by a student

As a former student, I must say that overall, Machebeuf is a school with a lot of potential. However, I believe they really do need to offer a more diverse range of classes to get the students more involved and give them the best experience possible. Also, the small class sizes seemed like an advantage at the time but made me flounder once I started attending a large college with huge lecture classes where the individual attention is no longer there. I went from a 3.8 gpa student in high school to a 2.5 college freshman. In all, Machebeuf needs to challenge students more to become the prep school they claim to be.
—Submitted by a student

We are educators and our son has attended 4 schools. We did our research and it paid off. The national test scores show that this truly is the best school if you seek real scholorships to the nations's top universities.
—Submitted by a parent

The school is on the rise with a nearly new host of administrators, increased focus on rigorous academics, accountability across the board, and meeting the diverse needs of its students. This is the place to be.
—Submitted by a parent

this school offers small class size and a good diversity of students. The teachers, are helpful but the curriculum is average and not very stimulating. There are not a lot of extra classes like a good drama class, creative writing, etc. So for a kid who has a likes to be creative, this would not be a good choice. It has a feeling of safety there but also a feeling of strict enforcement of rules that seem to be done in a condescending manner. The principal is new to the school as is quite strict and is not at all fexible. The enforcement of the dress code borders on obsessive.
—Submitted by a parent

The academics are basic instruction and the students are not encouraged to think outside of the box. There is a huge emphasis on dress code that borders on silliness. The principal, while very personable, is quite rigid. I find the most concerning aspect is that the kids don't seem to like it there and don't generally speak in positive terms about the school. On the upside, the class sizes are small and the teachers are quite approachable and are always available to give extra help to a student.
—Submitted by a parent

We chose this school because of its small class size and diversity. However, over the past year changed and become much more conservative with a very strict dress code and a somewhat rigid principal. The classes are still small but the curriculum is not very impressive nor are there enough electives which inspire creativity. They do offer art, but they need other classes like speech, creative writing etc. There is room for parental involvement like hosting activities for the students and teachers but nothing really where parents can inspire change and express concerns. There is a very top down style of leadership at this school.
—Submitted by a parent

Bishop Machebeuf is a school on the rise! There have been many new additions and the school community is one of Catholic faith, academic promise and gives attention on meting the needs of others through service efforts as well as students' individualized academic and social needs. I am proud to be a part of BMHS and am learning very quickly what is important in life. It is unfortunate that not all students have had a positive experience...then again, there is a lot of truth in the statement, 'you get out of it what you put into it!' TF
—Submitted by a student

Machebeuf is a decent school at best. As a student, I want to make it clear that Machebeuf is hardly what it claims to be. For instance, they claim that 98% of their students go to college. Indeed, this is true, but it is a stretch. Far too many graduates end up attending Aurora Community College, which is just down the street, or other community colleges. They claim to be a college prep school with rigorous academics and a lot of homework. Machebeuf claims to be a tight knit community. That's a laugh. Really, the only thing parents should like about Machebeuf is the discipline when it comes to dress code, and the prevalence of Catholicism. The students generally dislike this school. It seems the teachers dislike it as well. Extracurriculars are lacking at best.
—Submitted by a student

The review written below was obviously written by an upset parent whose child had problems adhering to dress code and had difficulty leaving their cell phone
—Submitted by Lynn, a parent

This school lacks organization and individual attention on it's students. The administration is more concerned with dress code violations and cell phones than student education. The counseling department is too small to accomodate all students. Only students with special needs get any attention whatsoever. The teachers range from average to above average in teaching standards. It's evident many of them don't enjoy their jobs, and they make it seem like Machebeuf was a last resort. The administration puts on the illusion that the school has a close community and caring atmosphere which is quite the opposite. The school needs to be re-evaaluated and built up from it's original principles again. I've heard so many complaints and regrets for parents for sending their children here. It's a waste of money andtime.
—Submitted by a former student

This school will not prepare anyone for college. It is poorly run and has no acadmeic integrity.
—Submitted by a former student

Very diverse Roman Catholic school. Excellent academics. Small classes. Highly qualified faculty. Very pleasant environment. Uniforms.
—Submitted by a parent