St. Patrick School

I attended four years of St. Patricks School and four years of public grammer school in Yorktown. My education at St. Patricks was far superior to the public school in one critical way. I was taught to be reverent and respectful. Education in the Catholic tradition had the student acknowledge God as the foundation of all knowledge and produced a more whole person. The classes were more conductive to educating as there was less babysitting required. Courses were rigorous and excellence rewarded. It put me near the top of my class when I entered public school. Pound for pound and dollar for dollar, there is no comparison.

I sent both of my children to St. Patrick s. The education was exceptional. I found the teachers to be very concerned about their students especially in the lower grades. Their Pre-K and Kindergarten programs are wonderful and their teachers are caring and loving. I would definitely recommend St. Patrick s School.
--Submitted by a parent

This school is not better than the public schools...some of these kids are emotionally disturbed and the parents blame other kids for their behavior...some of these teachers teach 3 different subjects which is too much...the kids have to learn on their own...the teachers & parents are prejudice which is surprising because this suppose to be a christian school...would not consider taking your kids out of public school to come here
--Submitted by a parent

I graduated from this school after attending the Pre-k through 8th grade in it. I can honestly say that not switching out was one of the worst long-term decision I have made. The teachers are awful and don't know what the material they are teaching because they teach more than one subject to more than one class/grade, they are judgemental and prejudice, the "student council" (which I was the president, treasurer, and member of for three years) did four activities throughout the three years I was on it. These activities were supposed to be fundraisers but we spent more money on them than we spent so it wasn't a fundraiser it was more of a money-waster. Well anyway, some of the kids in the graders younger than mine would feel bullied by the "older kids" because the teachers talked them up to be such bad kids and half of it is true. I now attend a public school and it is, in every aspect, better than St. Patrick's. I advise you to take your child out of St. Patrick's ASAP or don't put them in at all.

My daughter has attended St. Patrick's since Kindergarten. Not only does St. Patrick's instill solid Catholic values to its students, but sets the academic bar HIGH and expects the child to reach the bar. Homework and testing is rigorous and you can see the difference in the quality of students and teachers there. The one year my daughter was put in our local public school she said the classroom teachings were "too easy" that the material the teacher was teaching was "something she learned the year before." To the parents upset that teachers don't offer "extra help" to kids slipping through the cracks: Catholic schools are notorious for it. They simply don't have the funding for special ed and barely enough to pay the teachers on staff. The ones that are on staff, amazingly are dedicated and devoted. Students who need extra help and have special educational needs would no doubt be best served by the public school system or by homeschooling.
--Submitted by a parent

We are very pleased with this school whose academics are excellent and whose 'specials' like Art, Music, Spanish and Computers offered by NY State Cetified teachers offer a well-rounded education. Having daily religion classes and weekly visits by the pastor of the church is precisely what a true Catholic school should offer. Catechism offered by the clergy is so rare these days, and St. Patrick's School-Yorktown is one of the few in the area whose clergy actually make an impact on the religious formation of the students! The moral compass and excellent academics make this a very special place. The expansive playground areas: fields, blacktops and fenced-in recess equipment offer a range of outdoor physical activity for the Pre-K to eighth grade students -- there is something for everybody.
--Submitted by a parent

I would not recommend this school to anyone who cares about their child's education. My daughter was in the kindergarden and then went into the first grade Ms Palansky's class. The pastor cut back and combined the two kindergarden class and they weeded out the kids they could not handle. Very uncatholic. I am torn with pulling my daughter out now and leaving her friends and allowing her to remain and finish out the school year. Do not use this school.
--Submitted by a parent

My son went to public school from K-2 grade. He transferred to St. Pat's in third grade. The school is excellent. The teachers are very competent and caring. My son has learned so much since he has transferred. He has to work much harder but he feels like he has accomplished so much when he is rewarded with good grades for hard work. He's learned that he has to work at something if he is having difficulty. The other students, teachers and principal have been very supportive of him. He is so much happier since he switched schools. More is expected of him, but he rises to the challenge. The school encourges the students to rise to their potential. I wish we had started his education at St. Pat's
--Submitted by a parent

I had a child in Catholic school 7 years ago and I do now and I must say what a dramatic difference. Teachers here don't call or write letters or keep parents in the loop.Unless you are a fulltime volunteer or class parent your child could easily fail without you having any knowledge until it's too late. I believe they cannot compete with the public schools so it's much easier to sweep things under the rug and have the school seen in good standing or 'competitve' than truly making sure these childrens needs are met. Save your money, we pay enough in taxes and have a great public school system. Take them to museums, broadway shows, and teach them about our culture with the additional money in your pocket. They say there are no funds for the school but they are refurbishing a Church with copper.See where the priorities are.Sad
--Submitted by a parent

I agree with the two parents here. There is very poor communication between the school (teachers) and parents. I put my child into this school thinking they would be provided not only a good education which is mediocre to say the least but for nuturing and caring and true Catholic values, which is not the case. I would never want my children to be just like everyone else and they expect each child to be as stated 'robot' like. Some of the most brilliant people were everything but 'normal'. Sad to say more and more the Catholic School has been more about how much you can donate and volunteer than what truly is the best for our children. EACH child needs love, support and good Catholic values and those are individual needs. These are 'ALL' God's children no matter what their differences. To say I am dissapointed is an understatement.
--Submitted by a parent