St. Thomas Aquinas School

STA is an amazing school. My child has received the best education possible there. She excels academically and has many opportunities to grow in her Catholic Faith. I am involved with the school and love the teachers, staff, and administration. They do everything in their power to provide the best for my child and all of the children who attend STA. The students of STA leave the school very well prepared and are always at the top of their class due to the great foundation that they received at STA.
—Submitted by a parent

I have had children in the school the past ten years and while I'd love to give it five stars, I think the school still has much need of improvement. If we are comparing STA to PUBLIC school than five stars all the way. But as parents, we pay good money for better than public and often times I am not sure we get what we pay for. Middle school seems to have a problem retaining teachers. Those that are good, leave, and it seems like those that stay only stay because they are not exceptional and can't work elsewhere. (There is one exception to this but I'd rather not name names here). I love the foundation and community of catholic school and have no regrets but I do think improvement is slow in coming.
—Submitted by a parent

My oldest son graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas this year (2012) and I have three younger children who also attend. We have been extremely pleased with this school. We feel that he is very well prepared for high school (he will be attending Bishop Moore in the upcoming school year). There was a strong focus on the Catholic faith which was incorporated into all aspects of the school, in activities, the look of the campus, etc. There was also a strong emphasis placed on academics with an expectation for the children to excel and plenty of opportunities for assistance if they were having difficulty. The staff are wonderful, many of them having been there for many years. They value each student and treat each student with respect. My son is shy and an introvert, but he beamed with pride during their compliments and acknowledgement of his efforts. I would recommend this school to anyone and indeed have recommended it. It has been a blessing for my children and it's a joy for us to continue to send our children there.
—Submitted by a parent

I am an alumnus of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School and am so grateful for the education I have received from attending. The teachers are wonderfully dedicated and the curriculum was appropriately challenging. Because of STA, I was well prepared for high school and am currently doing very well. I have St. Thomas to thank for my spiritual and academic growth and for helping me to develop into the person I am today.

I am so glad that I removed my children from this school. Neither had any issues until I placed them into this school. This school doesn't care as much about the kids as they do about how much money they can bring in. It's ironic that as soon as I removed my kids from this school and placed them into another school my kids fit in and were doing great right away. Which tells me that it wasn't my kids that had the problem when they were in St Thomas IT WAS THE SCHOOL. They in fact create the problems in the kids with the way that they handle children. Children that misbehave there are removed from all of the social settings only to spend the entire day alone without any social interaction. Talk to your children ask them questions then ask the staff. Find out the truth about what really goes on. I would tell everyone keep your kids outbofvthis school.
—Submitted by a parent

My child attended STA from preK through 8th grade and I have nothing but positive things to say. Because the school is small she got a lot of personal attention and everyone looked out for her. They all knew who she was and who she belonged to and I always felt like they had her best interests at heart.
—Submitted by a parent

St. Thomas is a wonderful place grow both academically and spiritually. The teachers and staff have high expectations, challenging the students to succeed. The school leadership is positive and enthusiast which is felt though out the school. STA is a family where you are just not another number. They know my children and who we are.
—Submitted by a parent

I am an alumnus of St. Thomas Aquinas and I feel that it is an excellent school that prepared me well for high school. Following St. Thomas, I completed the IB program at Gateway High and found that the education I received at St. Thomas put me on the right track for excellence in this program. I think it is a great school for gifted children and for the more challenging student as they provide guidance and are always there to help when needed.

The teachers are caring. The students are challenged to succeed in all areas of academics. The school staff , plus teachers are very dedicated. to their students.

My children were in a wonderful Catholic school in another state, one that actually has a waiting list it is in such demand. I of course transferred them to STA when we moved to the area and was greatly disappointed. The administration was extremely rude and unwelcoming and my children were far ahead of what the teachers were giving them. One child was actually reapeating work she had done two years previous. I went to speak to the administration about this and other problems and was treated with a cold shoulder. Luckily I pulled my children from the school and my oldest is in Honors classes with straight As studying two years above her level. I would suggest any of the St. Cloud public schools above this one any day.
—Submitted by a parent

I graduated from there a few years ago and I can confidently say that I am truly grateful for the foundation that this school has built for me. The community is so caring, even after one graduates it seems like they still care about you. I did everything in that school from band to the science fair, volleyball, basketball, and cheerleading and managed to graduate with all A's. My younger sisters attended a different Catholic school in the Orlando area and I found myself wishing that they had experienced everything I had in STA. Just like any other student attending any other school without the support and attention of parents kids will not be able to take advantage of everything the school does for each individual student. In the end teachers still recognize me and love me just as I did when I was their student.
—Submitted by a student

An awesome school with great staff, terrific kids, and a warm caring environment. From the reviews, it certainly looks like the same couple of disgruntled parents are posting over and over. Fact is, the school rocks, and the kids are on average two grades above public schools at reading, writing and math.
—Submitted by a parent

I would really like to see some 'updated' test scores for St. Thomas. I've noticed that they advertise that the students are on an average, 2 grade levels above national on standardized testing. But yet, most of the kids in my sons grade tested below average. Something is not right here!!
—Submitted by a parent

STA is a great place for all children to learn, grow and play. My child has been challenged academically, nurtured by her loving teachers, and guided in her faith by the strong spirituality present in everyday activities at this wonderful school. Thank you STA for helping my child to become her personal best!
—Submitted by a parent

I like it when parents are giving STA a poor rating in this site because the lesser the students enrolled in our community the greater the teachers can put more attention on each child for academic learning. STA is a Catholic community that is focused on spiritual virtues & values. I have 2 nephews attended STA from PreK3 to 8th grade. When they moved to public high school, they feel fortunate that they're academically advance than their public school classmates. STA is a close gated community & I feel my children are safe in here during school hours. Parents are always welcome to be involve according to their availability with a minimum of 20 hours per year so it is not true that parent involvement is poor in STA. We're coming back next school year & will continue pray for a perfect Principal to lead us in a Catholic way.
—Submitted by a parent

My child has attended STA for a few years now and we have found it to be a wonderful school. The teachers are caring, nurturing and dedicated. My child tests above her grade level in math, science and english. This school has gone through the last three principals through sheer bad luck. Two of them were there for a number of years and left for reasons having nothing to do with the school. The last principal was simply not a good fit. We are very happy with the quality of education and the nurturing evironment here.
—Submitted by a parent

I have been happy with my daughter's experience at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School. She has blossomed into a confident, caring, compassionate young lady and we could not have asked for a better environment for her!
—Submitted by a parent

My son has been at St. Thomas Aquinas for two years. He is currently in Kindergarten. He is doing very well and is actually reading. We are very pleased with his progress and with the school. Small class size, qualified teachers, Christian loving environment, and wonderful parent involvement.

Both of my children have attended St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School since Kindergarten and Pre-K 3 (Our oldest child graduates this year!) Our school has been through many ups and downs, but many of the teachers my children had and friends that they have made along the way are still with them. Every teacher they have had through the years has been exceptional. The teachers and support staff are committed to the educational and spiritual growth of each child. There are many opportunities for parents to volunteer and become an active participant in their child's education. It appears that some of the negative comments posted about this school are by people who had an ax to grind with a certain teacher or who had issues with the rigorous (yet fair) requirements of the school.
—Submitted by a parent

We love the school and are very proud that our child has done so well there! The staff is excellent and our child loves it!
—Submitted by a parent