St. Faith Hope & Charity

I go to faith hope and the teachers there are often know nothing about the subjects they teach. Most just assign projects and homework and don't bother to actually teach the kids. The teachers that do actually teach their students don't usually know anything at all about the subject outside of the book. The school is very cliquey, which is okay if you are in a clique but if you're not you're basically stuck for the next 10 years because social groups don't change very often. The school is pretty fun for a kid because you goof around and know everybody very well, although I wouldn't know what it's like at a public school. One of the positive things at the school is the sports. Most kids play all the sports available and you don't need any skills at any of the sports to play them. However, if you don't like sports very much its not very fun. Not being on the football team is pretty much considered a sin, even though I did football and loved it. The school has a great new tech program but the rest of the specials aren't great. I would recommend faith hope if your child is very shy because the kids are very welcoming. I wish I had gone to a public school, but I guess its a preference.

My daughter has had such a great experience at Faith Hope. She has been at the school for five grades now and each year her classroom teacher has exceeded my expectations. The teachers are kind, dedicated and creative educators--they are always available for parent concerns and feedback on instruction. The children as a community act in reflection of the Christian values taught at the school and are a fun, inquisitive and kind group. The school is a real treasure in the community and has instilled in my daughter a love of learning and a value code that is in alignment with what we teach her at home.
—Submitted by a parent

I have two children who attend FHC and are thriving. Neither my husband or I are "legacys" of the school or grew up in the area but we have found the community of FHC to be very welcoming. We both jumped in and are active in the school and the parish and never once did we or our children feel like outsiders. The teachers are dedicated to the students and the administration is always trying to improve the educational experience. Faith and respect for others are folded into every learning experience and the kids obviously benefit from that principle. It is a nice place to go to school. Nothing is perfect and no school is for everyone but our kids are happy with FHC and so are we.
—Submitted by a parent

School is extremely negative and disappointing in all aspects other than the lovely parish, assoc. & retired clergy. We were blindsided and hoped it would work for our children for several years but came to realize that lacking strong, positive, non-passive aggressive leadership the whole place is a mess & dysfunctional . . from teachers that are no doubt underpaid and mostly "checked out" many have either little experience or should simply not be in the profession - several are just plain lazy. Each year most worry about which teacher your child will have (or not have) and which teachers will be coming back. We found our children's grades to be inflated and not a reflection of quality "A" work that would prepare them for future academic endeavors. Bottom line is that many families simply turn a blind eye because they are a legacy to the school and the only thing that matters is their child "graduating" from fhc which trumps all else. So much for the Christian community - you have poorly behaved kids and parents at every school but those here are not held accountable. Tough to decide to leave any school but once you do you realize what your kids have missed with utter clarity !!
—Submitted by a parent

The amount of bullying and cliches in this school is unreal. Parents turn a blind eye to it especially if their child is the one doing it. I took my 2 children out of here as soon as I could. The teachers; some are great and caring, others seem to be as bad as the bullying children. If you want your child to have a well-rounded, balanced, fair and good experience while getting his/her education, do NOT send them to FHC.
—Submitted by a parent

I have 3 children at this school. So far so good. A code of conduct and discipline is instilled and followed. Children receive report cards-letter/number grades begin in 4th grade. The school is secure-all entries have video monitors and buzz in systems. No one can walk right in like at other schools. I feel my children are safe, being educated properly and are truly cared for. Is it always perfect? Nothing is. However I wouldn't trade it for where my kids were previously in our town. It has a very strong sense of spirit: lots of activities in/out of school that bonds the children. There are enough new/newer people that the previously mentioned issue of too many relatives or people who only socialize w/ those they've know since they were young-isn't as prevalent anymore.
—Submitted by a parent

The school is fantastic, including the upper grades. We have addressed the social issues mentioned.
—Submitted by a parent

The JK is extraordinaryily good as it has an outstanding teacher. However, the quality of teaching goes down from there.We found there to be a bullying problem in several grades. Many families were welcoming, but unfortunately, many more were not so. Most of the parents seem to want only to socialize with the people they already know or are related to. Newcomer kids get left out quite a bit. We ended up moving schools after 3 years and are very happy that we did.
—Submitted by a parent