St. Patrick School

St.Pats does NOT represents a Christian environment that your child can grow and succeed in. Bullying is ignored and not taken seriously. Teachers are very immature and have bad attitudes.
—Submitted by a parent

Time to look elsewhere. Any staff behavior not cosidered to be criminal is accepted. Cronyism rules. The bullying issues are out of control, to be expected when the staff bullies students and other staff. Do not expect Christian values to be modeled by the staff, for they are "Catholic" in only being able to say that they are for job security.
—Submitted by a parent

Extremely poor leadership. The school has a principal that is unwilling to work through issues with parents. No exceptions she does not deal with conflict sadly.
—Submitted by a parent

We made the switch this year from public school to St. Pat's and I have to say it was the best move. From day one the admins as well as students and teachers have been more supportive than anything we encountered in our last school. The communication has been outstanding. We were looking for a school that not only would give my child a great education, but one where we would feel like we belonged, and we found it here! I could just go on and on about how great this school is! If you are looking for a great Catholic school, I highly recommend St. Pat's. It is a bit on the pricey side but well worth the money.
—Submitted by a parent

I have watched my son grow into a great young man. The teachers are caring and show positive direction. It will be hard to leave this school, teachers and staff. They truly care about everyone from the parents to the youngest sibling. All I can say is Thank you for your positive influence.
—Submitted by a parent

We tried public schools for our kids because we initially could not get them all into St. Pat's and it does not compare to the experience my kids have had at St. Pat's. Not a day goes by where I am not grateful that we made the switch. The staff really cares about each and every student and that starts with the dedicated prinicpal all the way done to the janitors. The environment is one that not only fosters a strong academic environment, but one that allows every student to reach their full potential as good christian people. The financial sacrifice that we are making as a family is small in comparison to the satisfaction that we have in watching our children thrive in a positive environment with friends I know they will have for a lifetime. Thank God there exists a school that actually takes into account the entire student and holds them accountable with reference, respect and responsibilty in the forefront of all they do. Can't imagine how anyone could ever say anything negative about that. Keep up the good work St. Pat's!
—Submitted by a parent

We are very happy at St. Pat's. The staff and parent community has been very helpful and supportive. Having a child with a medical condition, there has always been support for our child. Staff is consistently going above and beyond what they are required to do as a private school to make this a safe, healthy and successful environment for our child. We also find that the Christian leadership by the teachers makes for a peaceful setting to learn and grow. We feel very lucky that St. Pat's has been so welcoming and that we were able to find this alternative to public school for our child.
—Submitted by a parent

I believe that God's message, of teaching our children to be Jesus for one another is a huge part of what Catholic school is all about. I found that to be absolutely true at St. Pat's. If we are true Christian's we should be following that example. Our action's speak louder than words and one day we will all be accountable. Hopefully God will tell us we did a good job and that He's proud of us. God bless....

We have been apart of St. Patrick School for the past eleven years. We are extremely pleased with not only the academic education our children have received but also the witness to their faith they have been apart of. The staff of St. Patrick School will go out of their way to help a child be successful. I am thankful for the opportunity to have our children be at this school - we are truly blessed.
—Submitted by a parent

Bigger does NOT always mean better! St. Patrick in Brighton was an immense disappointment, to say the least. I will even go so far as to declare it to be a poisonous environment for both children and parents. Well-intentioned Catholic parents who wish to raise their children to be well-intentioned Catholics of strong intelligence, character, and faith should prayerfully seek another school. Thankfully, we are blessed to have excellent Catholic school alternatives in the area. We recently transferred our child out and our only regret is that we did not do it sooner. At first glance, the themes of "Reverence, Respect, and Responsibility" look and sound great. But if you experience this school for yourself and make careful observations, you will soon recognize that none of these are of any real importance within those walls. Hopefully, for the sake of the children that remain, this will change in the very near future.
—Submitted by a parent

Although I don't think my child's experience was the norm. I believe any parent considering this school should know about it. My son was continually bullied at St. Pats. The staff did not take it seriously and finally I pulled my son from the school. I truly believe my son was ignored because the bully's family donated more money then we did. The effects of bullying should not be taken lightly. Unless you are planning on donating large amounts of money; you're child is a risk. Think about it seriously before you you are in a situation and your child is having panic attaks; etc.
—Submitted by a parent

This has been a great school for my kids. Great teachers (they have a particularly wonderful first grade teacher here) and wonderful parents who are involved. I highly recommend this school.
—Submitted by a parent

I have been going to this school for a long time and it is overall an okay school. It was a lot better at the old school, though. The old school had more of a community feel, like everyone knew eachother. Now it's getting more and more like a public school. Some of the teachers are inexperienced and overall not great, but a lot have been there forever and are the best. The new principal has really made the school a better place.
—Submitted by a student

i love this school! the teachers are great and its awesome
—Submitted by a student

I went to this school for eight years and since I've left it has changed. When I went there my class was very close, however now that classes have been divided into two seperate classes not only do you get seprated form close friends with new class assignments every year, your class is also not as close. I also agree that children seem alot more like spoiled brats. This school is alot of hard work and homework requires alot of time. I curently go to Brighton High School and all through St. Pats I was told high school would be harder and for me it wasn't academically, however they do not prepare you socially for the new type of enviroment you enter if you go to a public high school and when you get there people's first impression of you is that you think you are better than them and spoiled.
—Submitted by a student

The St. Patrick School staff and curriculum have greatly helped my child (7th grader) to achieve and surpass high standards. My student is currently going into 7th grade at St. Patrick School and loves the teachers in the middle school, just as he did in the elementary school. The curriculum is challenging, but also allows for student exploration and creativity. I would highly recommend this school to any other parent that is searching for a new school.
—Submitted by a parent

I completely disagree with the parent comment that was posted on May 16, 2009. My 8th grader just graduated from St. Patrick School and attended since 1st grade. Both in the old and new building. She loved the middle school staff and activities that were provided to her in middle school. She enjoyed having 'new' teachers when she entered middle school and found that they were funny, excited to teach, and ready to help whenever they were needed. I would recommend St. Patrick School without reservation.
—Submitted by a parent

This school used to be a great place to be until we moved to a larger facility and lost the close family feel. Much of the middle school teaching staff is inexperienced and unable to keep control of the kids. If you are looking for a place for your child to be challenged , epsecially in the middle school, this is not the place for you. The school presents itself as able to do so but is not capable of meeting that need at all.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter is in first grade at St. Patrick. So far we have been very pleased with her education. There is a strong focus on academics as well as Christian formation. The facility is beautiful and 'green'. Ms Darga, the principal interacts well with both parents and students. All in all, a great school.
—Submitted by a parent

I attended this school for eight years. For seven of those years, it was great. The teachers and principal were helpful and I learned so much that I was ahead when I started high school. The new school is beautiful, but I belive that the school has lost some of it's touch. Because it is bigger, the students aren't as close. Before, everybody knew everybody. The rules are not inforced, and many of the children that now attend seem to be 'brats' and the school has somewhat earned a reputation for containg spoiled children.
—Submitted by a student