Atonement Lutheran School

This is my child's 7th year at Atonement, and we could not be more pleased. The faculty and staff genuinely care about our children'spiritual and academic well-being. My child's terrific SAT scores demonstrate to me the excellent academics he is getting! BUT more importantly, he is learning Biblical truths and Christian principles. To find both of these in one place is an amazing blessing. Every place is bound to have an issue from time to time, but we are proud to be a part of this family who handles things in a loving, impartial, and Christian manner. Extra-curriculars are plentiful, technology impressive. Recommend ALCS whole-heartedly. Wish it continued to 12th grade!!
--Submitted by a parent

Teachers in the upper department didn't 'leave', they retired; it's completely different. If brand new teachers never get the chance to start, then how do you expect them to ever become experienced? Just because the teachers are 'brand new' does not mean that they are not qualified! Teachers go to school to become teachers and college does prepare someone to teach! New teachers bring new ideas, just because they may be different than before does not mean the school is going 'downhill'. Atonement is a wonderful school and before you write terrible comments about it, maybe you should check your facts and think about what you say before you type! Thank you!

As a former student and graduate of Atonement Lutheran, I am able to say with pride that I couldn't be happier with the education I received. Atonement has more than prepared me for High School, it in fact has vested in me skills that will benefit me for years and years to come. I am ashamed to read some of the ignorant thing written about Atonement on this web site. Special priviledges? The problem is with your kid, not the teacher. Suck it up and straighten your kid out! Also, the classes were the perfect size! What are you looking for, a class of 8? Hmmmm that sure will prepare your kid for high school and college... Atonement is amazing, I wish it continued to grade 12!
--Submitted by a parent

This is our first year at Atonement and we could not be happier. The tuition is about the same as the parochial school we came from, maybe a little less. Atonement is the best kept secret in Metairie. The teachers are warm and caring, the curriculum is perfect, the principal is always there for the parents & children and the technology is the most advanced we have seen in any grammer school. My child has the oppourtunity to work with smartboards and in a well equiped computer lab. The fundraisers that some parents feel are too much is the reason Atonement is so state of the art. The money has to come from somewhere, the little tuition they charge could not possibly pay for all this. Atonement is an amazing school.
--Submitted by a parent

I tend to agree about the large class sizes, the high tuition, and the negative comments regarding the faculty and principal. The most negative aspect is that there is no counselor at the school. No student is going to feel that they can go to a principal with a problem. Over the past few years, fund raising is the main focus. More emphasis should be placed on the students, and using money for more teachers and a counselor, rather than making the school look good aesthetically.
--Submitted by a parent

My children attend ALS only because of peer- attachment. The school is governed by the board and their kids are given special priviledges. The principal is unable to receive objective criticism it is viewed as an affront to his 'non-authority.' The principal also serves as the counselor to both pubescent girls and boys.
--Submitted by a parent

My son is in the sixth grade at Atonement & I am extremely happy! He does well in his studies & has played basketball for 2 years & the sports program is great. The new athletic director is awesome & is getting so much done & has great spirit. We have, like at any school, had some issues with teachers but my concerns were always listened to by the principle & the problem was addressed. My son is very happy here & we are thinking about jioning their church.
--Submitted by a parent

We have been at Atonement for 9 years & have 2 daughters there. My oldest daughter is in 8th grade & is sad that she will be graduating this year. Many Atonement graduates move on to maintain very high GPA's. The loving, caring & Christian environment has been a wonderful place for our girls to grow. In response to the comment dated 10/7/08 - the class sizes are quite average & smaller than most catholic schools; the church strongly supports the school, if not tuition would be much more; those that serve on boards or PTL do so because they truly care about the mission of our church & school, not for personal gain - in fact we are blessed to have many parents that spend numerous hours away from home serving our school. Our principle is wonderful & cares about each & every child. Atonement has been a blessing!
--Submitted by a parent

While teacher turnover has been high, I couldn't be more pleased with our current faculty at Atonement. Some of the new teachers lack the experience of those who left, but they make up for it in the fresh ideas and enthusiasm they bring to the classroom. It has been a pleasure to see my child blossom in the upper grades this year! Sometimes experience does not equate with a real connection to the class. The new science and math teacher in the middle school department is AMAZING and somehow gets kids to actually like what they are doing! The new Language Arts/8th grade teacher has been a refreshing change although her predecessor is a tough act to follow! If we could just get going with assignments on line, life would be wonderful.
--Submitted by a parent

I strongly dissagree with the previous review. My son is in the 7th garde at Atonement and the past 8 years has been a very rewarding experience for him. Atonement has excided all of our expectations of what a school should be. Now that he is in 7th grade we have been going to all of the Catholic high school open house nights and every time my son is asked where he attends grammer school and he tells them Atonement we get the same response, 'if your from Atonement you will have no problems getting in, Atonement students do very well in our high school'. This tells me that Atonement prepares their students for the future. If I was not happy with a school, no matter how attached my child was, I would pull them out. Maybe the problem is not with the school.
--Submitted by a parent