St. Philips Academy

This is the best school I have EVER attended. I came here in the Upper School and am now an eighth grader. When I first came to SPA, it was a social and academic adjustment. I had trouble making friends. However, I have grown so much. I have many friends now. I have become more outgoing due to the great community here at SPA. We have an advisory group where we talk and play games. We do community service with the younger kids, and all of the grades hang out. At my old school, I was ignored by my teachers. Here, the small enviroment has allowed me to find my academic potential. The teachers are always willing to stay for extra time, especially Mrs. Ito and Mr. Eichmann. The Chromebooks given to us eighth graders have been an extreme help. I am able to hand in work on time and collaborate with my peers. The lunch may not be that great, but I d rather go to a school with healthy lunch, great academics, advanced technology, and a great community than my old school, where the lunch was awesome, but there were various cliques and unhelpful teachers. Signed, a current student sad to leave SPA.

All my children are enrolled in the school and I am extremely satisfied with the attention they receive by their teachers and the high quality of academic rigor. The food program is incredible as it is healthier and more delicious than the food I prepare at home sometimes. Parents are expected to be involved and that is a big plus. The teachers are all extremely dedicated to their students and provide a lot of individual attention.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is outstanding. I've never seen anything like it, they adapt each lesson for different styles of learning and incorporate technology into the classroom in innovative ways. There is such a nice balance of technology and caring for the environment, these kids are going to be very well balanced!!!

This school is terrible. I hate it. I have been in this school for four years and I absolutely hate it along with my fellow eighth graders. There is so much unnesscerary drama and the lunch is disgusting. I even found a hair in my soup. Adding to that, you can't do what you want to do at recess. They only have a few games that most of the kids don't even want to play. Sure, the teachers are really helpful, but this school is a no. Do not send your child to a school where they will be talked about, lied to, and sad. Do not attend this school!

Small class size, the teachers and adminstrators love their students, the education is that of a high cost independent school, made available to students in newark. Our students graduate and go onto the top independent and boarding schools in the country, and on to the top colleges and universities.
—Submitted by a parent

It's not always about the academics. So far I am happy with my choice as my daughter is in kindergarten. I love the cultural exposure, Green activities, and the community volunteering. Although I do want my daughter to excel academically, I do want her to be aware of the world. St. Philip's strives to do that. And yes, she did forget her spoon for her snack and the teacher did not have one in the class. Recently when I forgot and even when she did have one, the teacher provided a spoon (see 8/18/08 review). As with anyplace you have to give and take.
—Submitted by a parent

I have my second child attending the school and must say that I love the school. Every year the school curriculum gets more intensive, vigorous, challenging and fun. The school is very responsive to students' and parents' interest and concerns. St. Philips is continuously striving to be a benchmark for independent private schools and making great progress.
—Submitted by a parent

I currently have two children attending SPA , one is entering sixth and the other is entering eighth in fall '08 and it is a wonderful learning environment. I have watch my children grow and excel since they left St. Rose of Lima in Newark, NJ. The staff is very supportive but we as parents need to volunteer some of our time towards helping out within the school. The Parent Organization could use more help.
—Submitted by a parent

The St. Philips' facilities are excellent, the core faculty generally appears to be good and caring, my child appears to be learning the 3 R's but it has not been a cake walk. If your child has a learning difference they don't appear to know how to deal with it, even if its a very smart child. The administration fails to answer calls in a timely fashion, is disorganized, especially where extracurricular activities are concerned, worse yet they often talk down to parents with concerns or just ignore you, finally there is too much turnover in staff! In a city where the education system is in disarray, it is a great place for safe learning but don't expect much more. Hopefully, the school's ills are only a sign of a school in transition. With some extra effort at responsiveness it could be a great school!
—Submitted by a parent

Horrible school. Simple things like giving my son (k) a spoon or fork when we forgot to pack his were routine. There's also a since of clicks present its who you know.
—Submitted by a parent

My child has attended SPA for the past four years and loves the school and her peers. The environment is safe and the faculty and administration have always been supportive. Unfortunately, a large majority of parents are not involved in the Parent Organization. The offering of Latin is a plus, yet the academic challenge to students could be greater. The addition of the dramatic arts, music (instrumentation) and dance would be a plus. Overall, SPA offers a quality education to children who want to learn and prepares them for success in high school and beyond.
—Submitted by a parent

Saint Philip's Academy has an excellent academic program. The new building is impressive and the children are well behaved.I credit the institution with my childs acceptance into some of the finest boarding schools in the country as well as receiving generous scholarships from these institutions. I would certainly recommend this school to any parent that is serious about the education of their child.
—Submitted by a parent

This is a great school to go too!
—Submitted by Bjorn C., a student

The quality of education at SPA is excellent. My child is a former Catholic School (PreK-6th grade) student from Our Lady Of Lourdes in West Orange, NJ, where the discipline there was non-existent. I have watch my child flourish at SPA and has become more interested in her education since becoming a student at SPA
—Submitted by a parent

Would strongly disagree with published negative remarks here. I have had my children at SPA for several years and have found it far exceeds all public schools of choice as well as any and all charter schools. The staff is young but committed to each and every child; the curriculum, while it suffers from some holes and coverage (esp. I think in reading) is challenging and effective and speaks to the children with a high measure of excitement about learning. While the school does have some problems (specif. size of building and grounds, some difficulties in curriculum focus) SPA is a class act and a tuition bargain given all that it has to offer. I see the difference esp. in the teachers, who offer individual attention to my kids. What's that worth to you? SPA is a diamond in the making, and will soon far exceed other private schools.
—Submitted by a parent

The school lacks educational structure. Children are not worked to their abilities. Too much time is spent on reviewing the prior years lessons and discipline. The extracurricular activites are not supported by the staff. The turn over in teachers is too high to maintain the students and their educational improvement.
—Submitted by a parent