St. Agnes Elementary School

St. Agnes is overall a great place for our kids to receive a Catholic education. Classroom teachers are involved and caring, and go the extra mile to educate. Unfortunately, I can no longer say St. Agnes is the place to be if your child needs an individualized education, enrichment, or special education services. It used to be - but this year that incredible level of support has really deteriorated with a new principal and inclusion teacher/reading specialist. So far it has not impacted the education of our kids in major ways, but I know a number of others who have been negatively affected. I am hopeful this will change in the future because we used to be on the cutting edge of providing a specialized education for kids in the parochial setting.
—Submitted by a parent

Meh. As a parent, I used to be able to say wonderful things about STA. Unfortunately, in the last 2 years, it appears that things are going downhill. The community in the school is wonderful, but the administration of the school is lacking. It is apparent by the shrinking class sizes that I am not alone. Teacher quality is hit or miss and I worry if we transfer to a public school that my children will be behind.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a parent of two children that attend St. Agnes. One child has special needs and is on an IEP. This is our second year at St. Agnes. We came from another school in the Archdiocese. This school is so progressive and really works to meet the needs of both of my children. I love working with the staff and have never felt anything but positive about the school. The parents, students, and community have made us feel like part of the family. I often reccomend this school to other parents I know. We love it!
—Submitted by a parent

I felt compelled to write this as a mother of a St. Agnes student who has an IEP. This is our 4th year at St. Agnes and the administration and teachers that I have had to deal with have always been willing to listen to me and my child. They are caring individuals who see the best in every child and want to help each child succeed . As a parent I want a safe and caring enviroment and I feel that St. Agnes is this place. We came from another parish and St. Agnes has been welcoming and a wonderful faith community to call home. See for youself and attend and open house or schedule a tour.
—Submitted by a parent

As a parent of a special needs child (with a IEP) and a 4th year family of St. Agnes, I too felt compelled to post. I can only speak for myself and our family when I say that St. Agnes has always been the perfect decision we made for education for our children. While there no law required by private schools, St. Agnes is growing leaps and bounds in the areas of Special Needs and Inclusion. My children's educational and spiritual needs are always the focus at the top of their list. We are not just some number. The faculty and staff continues to work with us to educate on how to be the strongest advocate for our children. Without their assistance and guidance, our son would be "number" in the public arena; and due to his high level of functionality, he would have already fallen through the "cracks" and labeled a trouble maker. Here he has a name and he is a person. Not a disability. I am proud to call St. Agnes my home for family, faith and community. Never choose a school by a few reviews. Request a tour and information! You will be able to see my post in real time action!
—Submitted by a parent

How quickly things change, we wrote the post on February 21st & were the biggest cheerleaders for St. Agnes. That abruptly changed when our eldest son with special needs had an incident at school. He was suspended that day & the next day we were told he could not set foot on campus. Forget about teaching tolerance or forgiveness- he's a liability. We couldn't guarentee it wouldn't happen again and he's too big were the reasons we got. No one was injured & the other child involved ( & parents) forgave him & says he's a friend. It's a shame-they do not practice what they preach. If you have a child with special needs an IEP with the district is really not enough- have a written 504 plan or your child's civil rights may be in jeopardy. There are plenty of great schools in Johnson county- mark this one off your list if you BELIEVE that a child with special needs can learn from his mistakes and deserves a second chance and if you BELIEVE children learn more from the examples of others than the words they use. It's been devastating to our family- we lost our faith community. Yet another dream for our son has been dashed & he doesn't understand why he can't go to God's school.
—Submitted by a parent

My family had a bad experience at St. Agnes. If you have special needs child(ren), this is not the place to send your children.
—Submitted by a parent

Our family couldn't be happier with St. Agnes. It's much more than just a school - it's a community that cares about every child's emotional, social and spiritual development as well as their educational advancement. As happy and successful products of the Shawnee Mission school system, we made the choice to move into the SM District when we had our first child. We had every intent of enrolling her in the district when we discovered the Montessori program at St. Agnes - then we were hooked. Our oldest has now graduated from St Agnes and our two younger children currently attend. The economic and social diversity within the student body is a positive, but it's the striving for excellence within the faculty and administration that really impresses us. Bureaucracy is minimal an parental involvement isn't just a nice bonus - it's critical to St. Agnes' success.
—Submitted by a parent

Our family has been very pleased with St. Agnes Catholic Grade School. The faculty is excellent and very committed, the enrichment program offers excellent opportunities for students seeking additional learning experiences, and the there is a strong sense of community.
—Submitted by a parent

My family came to St. Agnes with older children from other schools, and couldn't be happier with the teaching staff and the level of education. There are enrichment opportunities for those students that need them, as well as, a wondeful resource room for those that need a little extra help. St. Agnes has taken measures to meet all the needs of every child that comes through it's doors. Not only is it strong academically, but the strong sense of community takes the school to another level. They offer many opportunites to get involved. The school does an excellent job of bringing the Catholic Faith into every part of it's education through it's stewardship program, Praise assemblies, Jesus Day (1st Communion), and Catch the Spirit Day (Confirmation) to name a few. St. Agnes is not just a school, it is our family!
—Submitted by a parent

The faculty is top notch, and the parents are very active. As a new family we found everyone to be extremely welcoming and inclusive.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter is the 3rd generation in our family to attend St. Agnes. It is more than a wonderful school...it is a family!
—Submitted by Kathy King, a staff

The leadership of the school is impeccable. The parents that are involved are very clicky and not very nice to those they don't deem worthy. Makes it kind of difficult to be involved
—Submitted by a parent