Academy of St. Elizabeth

The biggest mistake I've made in my life (and I've made quite a few) was sending my daughter to St. E's. The second biggest mistake? Not pulling her after her freshman year. No Board of Directors, so there's no one to go to with problems. Principal has shore house and plays backgammon all day. Mean as heck. Dean is principal's puppet. Sports are horrendous--no legal fields. Worse...20% of the girls are on merit scholarship. They get the best teachers, good classes and don't pay tuition so the school looks good in college acceptances. the rest of us get the leftovers at full price. The girls become cliquey, jaded and are shut down completely by senior year. They don't get into the best colleges, either. DO NOT SEND YOUR DAUGHTER TO THIS SCHOOL. IT'S THE WORSE!!!!!
--Submitted by a parent

This school is overpriced, outdated and completely out of touch with the times. At the Sports Awards dinner the tempgolf coach spoke of how great it is for the girls to play golf since someday they may MARRY a man who belongs to a club!! Not what I want my daughter to aspire to! They haven't changed the curriculum since the 70's!
--Submitted by a parent

I believe that this school could be a great school, if it was run by someone other than Sister Pat. The girls are scared of her and run the other way when they see her. They need someone that is tough but also inspiring and forgiving. She is judgemental and if she doesn't like you then you are out! As far as the other staff members, there are definitely some wonderful teachers that are willing to help your child.
--Submitted by a parent

St E's is overrated. It is has not kept up with the times of our society and is constantly asking for money to fund various programs. For example, when you take computer class, you are taught how to do everything you already know how to do on Microsoft 2003. And in the beginning of every school year, each student MUST sell 50 bars of chocolate, a dollar a piece, in a 2 - 3 week period. The cost for hot lunch, a snack/side dish, and a drink can cost from 7 - 10 dollars daily.

I am an alumni of St. E's. I started college academically well above the rest of the incoming freshman. I was much more confident, more mature and more able to concentrate on my studies than were my peer group. I now have a Ph.D which I attribute to the education I received at The Academy. There is no question in my mind that if I had had a daughter, she would have attended St. E's.

Don't believe every negative comment you read written by angry parents. As a current student, I can assure you that Equestrian Club and any other advertised clubs do in fact exist. There are many history teachers, and their ability to teach is not less than that of any other teacher simply because they are related to another faculty member. Times are hard, which explains the declining enrollment and increased tuition in the majority of private schools. St. E's is really a great school and anyone who attends will graduate as a mature, well rounded young woman with a wonderful high school experience to look back on.
--Submitted by a student

This school is a major disappointment in many ways. They advertise clubs that don't even exist (equestrian club). If you have an honor student, this school may be o.k. If you don't, look elsewhere. Qualifications of the teachers are questionable. History teacher is guidance counsellor's son. 25% increase in tuition for next year. $100 for senior parking on dirt, not even a parking lot. How do you justify that? Tuition has to cover the declining enrollment. Why don't they look to see what is causing the decline when the other private schools all have waiting lists? Someone is putting their head in the sands and won't deal with the issues going on here.
--Submitted by a parent

my daughter went here for a year. the administration and teachers were very poor. i wouldnt recommend it since it hurt her confidence.
--Submitted by a parent

While this school has tremendous potential to be a wonderful, beautiful place, it is being held back by the current administration. Rather than do anything different from what has been done for years and years, they say it is a school deep in tradition. It's not tradition. It's old and out of date. This is not a welcoming place. Little opportunity for parent involvement. Teachers don't have voicemail making it difficult to reach them. Half the time, the teachers don't update Schoolnotes so when you send them a note, they don't respond right away. All they know how to do is pile on test after test after test. When is there time for learning if all they do is test? Enrollment has been decreasing. I could go on and on and on.
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter is a junior next year. She has already been contacted by Harvard, Brown, Georgetown etc. based on her grades and PSAT scores. St. E's has the best SAT writing scores in the state. This is going to be a huge factor in college apps. in the next few years. My daughter has gone from shy,& moderately social in grammer school to an outgoing athletic social butterfly. She has truly bloomed under the wings of teachers who truly care and know not only each student's name, but they actually know their personalities. When my daughter was having a hard time last semester, not one, not two but three of her teachers sought her out and nurtured her. She came through what could have been a long adolescent phase in a matter of 2 weeks! The closeness of the girls is amazing. None of the sniping and backbiting.
--Submitted by a parent