Notre Dame School

this school is amazing and I love the teachers and staff. You could not ask for a better school!
—Submitted by a student

This school is horrible. Send your child to St. Vincent Ferrer if you want them to be prepared for college.
—Submitted by a parent

I absolutely loved this school! I graduated this past June and I can honestly say my experience was beyond amazing. The small school community allows for a very family like environment. The teachers love what they do and care for every single student. They honestly go above and beyond to ensure that the students succeed in their classes. They know every student by name and make you feel like you're more then just a student. They want you to learn. There are lots of after school activities to participate in. I was personally member of the Spirit Squad for four years, the running club, and the student actor training institute. The councelling department was incredibly helpful and got to know each student on a personal level. I highly recommend this school to all girls. Our school's motto is "chez nous", meaning "our home" in French. Despite the fact that I've graduated, I know this will always be my home and I will always have my Chez Nous Sisters.
—Submitted by a student

I graduated in 2009. Notre Dame is like a family. The friends I made at this school are like my sisters and the teachers are all unforgettable. My favorites ones are a handful not just one or two. I agree on the afterschool activities but with a school so small as Notre Dame and with high dependence on personal funding, meeting the needs of all the student for clubs, organizations and activities are difficult. I was not a great student from I entered Notre Dame. I came from a public school background and hated my first year there. I soon realized that i disliked my first year because I did not put my best foot foward. Once I tried and gave it my all I excelled and beat my own expectations. Now in College I am in teh honors program and thank it all to Notre Dame for showing me how to improve my work ethic and my abilities to achieve anything I set my mind to. If you daughter is a hard worker, who is willing to push her in order to be a successful student, she will do great and have a strong support system from the staff at Notre Dame.
—Submitted by a student

My daughter's and my experience at ND was beyond horiffic. The staff was very impersonal and ill equipped from the principal, vice principal, guadiance and teachers. She would constantly tell me the school was not organized and it was nothing like the open house dog and pony show, we were duped. She has since tranferred, her whole demeanor has changed she absolutly loves her new school and friends. She has joined a few of the school afterschool activites, something that ND could never seemed to to be very organized with as she was a member of one activity she complained about it's lack of organization. Good luck as this is a very important decision for both you and your daughter.
—Submitted by a parent

Notre Dame is a great school. I graduated in 2006 and I am now a senior in an Ivy League institution. I don't think that I would have ever achieved all that I have achieved if it weren't for ND. The teachers are excellent and the Counseling staff is top notch. I hear from my peers about how they had to figure out the college application process on their own and I am stunned. ND guidance counselors ENSURE that ALL students apply and are accepted into four-year universities and colleges. I will say that while I was there, I did not appreciate the wonderful opportunities and people at ND, but I am so glad to have formed and to still form a part of the Chez Nous (ND's motto) family.

some people think notre dame is bad thats only beacause they are not good student
—Submitted by a parent

Notre Dame is not a very good school. It isn't pretty and i am afraid i will not be getting into a good college as i am a sophomore right now. Also, there are only four sports that actually compete with other schools. There are many private schools in Manhattan that your daughter can go to that are both prettier and better academically. For example- Sacred Heart, Hightingale Bamford, Chapin, Marymount, Brearly, Loyola, Dalton. Do not send your daughter here if you want her to have nice friends with social lives that are pretty and get invited to parties.
—Submitted by a student

School is not as great as some people believe it to be. Im a student and it's not great, there are no activities, school is too small, the lunch is horrible, and the school does not care about its students. The principal cannot relate to her students or cares about them. If you are planning to attend Notre Dame do your self a favorand take your 7000 dollars and go somewhere else you will be way better off.
—Submitted by a student

I will be a sophomore at Notre Dame in September and my freshman year experience was fun and gratifying. I'll admit the school was quite unorganized this year, and as I've come to realize, is still developing and growing.The extra-curriculars were unorganized as well, but I feel as they will develop in time. There is also a new principal who arrived this year [Ms Ryan].Some of the teachers are relatable; others are less than so. As for the academics I feel as if the school prepares a student very well. The school wants the students to feel as if the school day ends at 4:00 so be prepared to stay after school a lot.Academics are challenging [math especially] but if one truly studies and stays after school, one will achieve excellence. Many of my friends have gotten several hundreds on their report cards, and achievements do NOT go unnoticed.
—Submitted by a student

I am currently a senior at Notre Dame. My biggest complaint about ND is that it is not challenging. A student does not have to work hard to recieve honors or be inducted to the National Honor Society. The teachers range from excellent to very poor. In addition to this there are only three AP courses offered. There is almost no school spirit or extracurricular activities. Everything about this school is mediocre. Dont waste $7000 a year. From what Ive heard, charter schools are 10x better.
—Submitted by a student

I will start in September as a senior. Most teachers are just what a student needs to understand the material. I thought that Notre Dame was well off academically but the school fails to compare to that of Xavior. It is not that they are smarter than we are. Many feel that we were not as prepared. There are hardly any extracurricular activities and if there are, the clubs hardly ever meet. Last year, no one knew when any clubs were going on. Student council meetings were random and rare and nothing was accomplished. The school does not meet the students' needs. The tuition is very high. The senior book fee alone ranges from $800-$1000. I fear for the graduation fee.
—Submitted by a student

My daughter is about to start her second year at Notre Dame; she had an extremely positive experience, both academically and socially, during her freshman year. My daughter had been accepted to Dominican, Sacred Heart and Loyola as well as to Stuyvesant. After much deliberation, we chose Notre Dame because of its fine academic credentials; the excellence, enthusiasm and involvement of its teaching and administrative staffs; the diversity of its students and its truly nurturing environment. In my opinion, and certainly my daughter's, we made the right decision.
—Submitted by a parent

Notre Dame is a very good academic school but it lacks the personal touch. The staff are cold and unfeeling and are ill prepared to deal with a child that has problems. My experience with this school was not a good one. My daughter got depressed in her freshman year and they were very unsympathetic. She was a scholraship child and all they kept telling me was that she was risking loosing her scholarship. I was more concerned that she did not loose her life. She had to be home instructed and Notre Dame refused to cooperate with the Board of Education and would not give her home instruction teacher the ciriculum so that she could keep up. So needless to say She no longer goes to Notre Dame. She is now a student at Robert Louis Stevenson and doing excellent.
—Submitted by a parent

Great school for girls. The only issue with Notre Dame is that the school is always moving all over Manhattan. One thing remains constant though. That is the quality of educators, the quality of students and the small class sizes.
—Submitted by a former student

Notre Dame does give their students the opportunity to excel in what they're best at and additionally brings out their outgoing personality, whether they seem to have it initially or not. This is due to the small population and the closeness of the students and faculty, hence their motto 'Chez Nous,' or 'our home.' Every faculty member makes an exceptional effort to get to know each student as well as possible and I've seen many strong relationships develop. I have to say that I have yet to see a more devoted principal. The teachers, though concerned about the welfare of the students (many employed for over 10 years), range from OK to excellent. The math department is not strong at all however the global history teacher is more effective on her students than any I've experienced. Overall, ND has so far been a very good experience though it could always be better.
—Submitted by a student

Excellent teachers and a great, caring environment.
—Submitted by a former student