St. Stephen Catholic Central School

This School needs NEW leadership, and office staff. The teachers that are doing the good jobs are being let go, there is no parent involvement. When you ask the principal to return your calls she does it on her on time and that means it never happens unless you complain every day! No second language, and PTO( Co-Opt) meetings there are more teachers and staff than parents, i went to the only one they had last school year 2010-2011 and maybe 6 parents came that evening. there were no meetings this year. no fundraising, or during school activities like spirit week. They even CANCELLED teacher appreciation week! and if asked could we do something for the teacher in our kids class we were told no!
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter attended this school for 3 years. There were poor communications amongst the teachers with transitions amongst grades. The expectations of the students were high but not fo the teachers. The princpal was fake and uncompassionate. There were some teachers who cared but they are no longer there for this reason. I do not recommend this school. There are public schools better than this catholic school. My daughter left there with a Gap in her education skill level versus the school that she is currently attending.
—Submitted by a parent

Last night we went to open house. We were very pleased at what we saw. The building is clean and the floors were waxed. The principal greeted us at the door. The building is under construction but you could not tell inside. We spoke to our son's teacher. We feel she's doing an excellent job. Both our boys have attended St.Stephen and we would reccommend this school to everyone we know. There is a loving environment and a dedicated staff at St. Stephen.
—Submitted by a parent

I love this school...It is providing my daughter the higher education she deserves. They also have reinforcement programs on the subjects she was weak in and it made a big difference in here grade point average and she has demonstrated strength in those areas. She is doing great.
—Submitted by a parent

We're very pleased with St. Stephen. The student/teacher ratio, academic program, and extracurricular activities are great!
—Submitted by a parent

We sent our second and fourth grader to this school. I could not have been more disappointed. My expectations were high, given that it is a catholic school. When we first moved to New Orleans from up north,we were unaware of the mess of the school system. The first year we sent our children to public school and were horrified with the low level of education they received. This school was private and we struggled to make tuition.The quality of this school is far below standard. If fact it was just as poor as any New Orleans public school. They should be ashamed of themselves!
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter has attened St. Stephen's for the past 3 years, and we have really enjoyed it. The teachers and other parents foster a family atmosphere. In fact, I think the best part about this school is the level of parent involvement. It's very evident in the behavior and attitude of the students.
—Submitted by a parent

I pulled my son out of St. Stephen after Katrina. The school went down in every aspect after the nuns were removed. The prioncipal is horrible to deal with. The school is nothing like it was in the years before the hurricane.
—Submitted by a parent

My son enjoyed his time at St. Stephen. He received the one on one attention that he'd not gotten anywhere else. We'll always have fond memories!
—Submitted by a parent

As an alumini of St Stephen Catholic School I would have to say that looking back on everything I don't think my mom could have made a better choice. While there I thought they could have given less homework but now I'm glad they did. While I didn't like many of the teacher then( only b/c I thought the classes were hard and they gave to much work), those same teacher left an impact on my life. Just wish I still lived in N.O. now to send my children.
—Submitted by a former student

My son graduated 8th grade from St. Stephen's. Although math and reading skills are not as stong as I would have liked in the middle school grades, it was a very comfortable environment with a good multicultural mix in the student body. There were counselor's on staff to work with students with special needs. Overall, I was very satisfied with my choice.
—Submitted by a parent

The early childhood classes strive to meet the needs of the individual. Title I reading is available, Speech Therapy, Chartwell for MR, austic children, etc. to name a few extea programs. Good Catholic values & religion teachings. The teachers vary but most are mildly dutiful and at times even remiss. The educational aspect is very good for the average student.
—Submitted by a parent