St. Peter Prince of Apostles School

After 10 years, St. Peters is getting a new principal. We have appreciated all that she has done for our family. We have one daughter at the school and hope to send our youngest daughter to SPS in two years.It is our dream to send both of our daughters to Incarnate Word High School. SPS offers incentives for their graduates to attend IWHS. What we are so in love with is the close community that is always willing to lend a helping hand. I have seen the new curriculum that all of the archdiocesan schools will be required to follow. I am confident SPS will execute the new format beyond well! The Principal-Elect seems to fit right in bringing with him lots of faith, energy and ideas. The final piece which has kept us at this school is the consistency of the staff following and sticking to the handbook. My husband and I rest assure that our values and morals are being enforced when our daughter is at school.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is excellent academically as well as in providing a nurturing environment. One of my children is gifted and talented and the school and teachers have gone above and beyond in creating an atmosphere where she is academically challenged. The middle school teachers are AMAZING! They truly care about the children and nurture them in such a caring way. My 8th grader scored well on the high school entrance exam and got in to the high school of his choice without any problem. There is a nice mix of electives, sports, and social activities that offer ALL the children an opportunity to be part of the social fabric. We have been at the school for 4 years and it has been excellent. We transferred from another area Catholic School and immediately recognized the strength of this school compared to our other experience. This is a solid school with strong acdemics and great relationships among parents, teachers, adminostration and students. Last school year, we had several families leave and then return this year once they saw how great St. Peter's is compared to other San Antonio catholic schools. This is s good place!
—Submitted by a parent

This is the worst school in San Antonio. The principals do not care what problems you bring to them. They don't treat the parents with respect or as if they care that they pay to take their children to this school. It is so sad, because the school is so horrible in such a great neighborhood. They hire teachers who do not know how to teach, and the secretary in the annex is horrible. She has to be the only secretary I have known without a pinch of people skills. The school ultimately is disgusting, and I would not recommend it to anyone. The best thing they can do is close down the entire school and start from scratch with a new set of employees. Please do not waste your time checking this school out or sending your child here. They have nothing but a bunch of idiots working here from the principals, to the secretaries, to the librarian, and the teachers. I have never seen such incompetence all in one place.
—Submitted by a parent

When we moved to San Antonio our children were small, we wanted to find a school that would set them up for Incarnate Word High School. We found only a few schools that fed into the high school. We first attended St Peter Prince of Apostles church as the children were still much too young to start attending school. We fell in love and felt at home immediately. We then found out about the Mother's Day Out program and put our oldest in. It has been five years now and both of my children are thriving both academically and socially. As a new parent five years ago it was a challenge for me to step up and give my opinions for fear of sounding like an over bearing parent. I found that the staff and teachers were very open and welcoming. We've built some really great relationships with all of the staff and teachers as well as other families and cannot imagine being anywhere else. I leave with this thought...... You get out of something what you put in. The more involved we have become the better our experience has been.
—Submitted by a parent

This used to be an excellent school with a high focus on academics. Now the only focus is money. Adminsitration allows for under qualified, staff members to make decisions that should otherwise be made by the professional adminsistration. The teachers they have now are the rejects that no one else wants. It shows in their lack of organization, structure and appearance. I have never seen such a relaxed attire on so called professionals. The staff that is presented to guests and visitors in the middle school building are in fact the most rude, and unfriendly women one could ever encounter. Add in their flip flops it's any wonder why or how someone could actually pay to send their children there. There is the complete lack of concern for a child's rights.Principals call for and interrogate children without another adult or parent present. Completely intimidateing them. This was our last year of such disfunction. There is complete and utter favoritism towards certain parents its beyond words , it borders on sickening. There is no such thing as privacy, as this very unprofesssional staff exposes everything from grades to family issues and finances to anyone who will listen.
—Submitted by a parent

This '12-'13 year will be my son's 3rd year here. He'll be entering Middle School and while I think everone should realize that there is not one single perfect school here in San Antonio; that St Peter's strives to do the very best that they can within the guidelines of the Archdiocese and with the limited financial resources that are available to them. I have found that the teachers will sometimes spend their OWN MONEY to do things for their kiddo's. And the Principal is a God-fearing excellent example of what a Catholic institution needs. Every single concern I have were addressed, maybe not exactly the way I "wanted" but I am also not the one running the asylum either. I am proud that my son is a student at St Peter's and my wife is happy as well. And yes, we noticed that maybe the grounds were a little run down, but, hey, the place is over 80 years old... and it's always clean. I wish I had more money to be able to give these teachers and administrators the money they truly deserve for the great values and education that they instill in my son. Shame on all those neysayers out there who complain just for the sake of hearing their big "yap." - Thank God that we can afford STP!
—Submitted by a parent

This school is all about recruiting and completely falsifies the facts especially to new families. I pulled my child out because of the constant bullying by the Principal and staff. This type of behavior is reflected in the students as well which s not a surprise because they are children of the staff. Further, they do not follow policies but implement only when to the staff's benefit. The principal allow the staff members to by pass school policies and advance a lot of their own kids from the PreK program. The PreK program is a joke, the PreK program is not even daycare rated. I am speaking truth to parents and ask that you please explore before placing your child in this very disorganized and unhealthy teaching environment.
—Submitted by a parent

I have posted reviews and they have been removed. This is a country that we have have the" right of speech." Principal's only concern is recruiting and telling false facts to new families. Shame. All your questions may not represent the truth about St Peters. Covering issues of bullying, grade changes by teachers and principal for " favorite students. New students are not welcomed by students and harassed verbally and emotionally. The teachers are not highly qualified and do not follow the rules of administration. The principal spends all her time recruiting and never manages the teachers behaviors, or individual policy. Teachers and principal are demeaning and harassing students , setting examples for bullies. I cried at graduation for my child and hope the trauma of attending this school will not be their forever. Shame of the archdiocese for allowing this school to treat students in an non- catholic manner and allow teachers to be cruel. Not representing Catholic values.- Recruiting with falsehoods only make students leave as they see what is really happening. I speak from my heart when I look in the eyes of my children and apologize for their resulting distress.

My family has witnessed the deterioration of this school in the last 4 years under the current administration. In short, the pattern is to tell parents (and prospective parents) one thing in one-on-one meetings that are exactly what parents want and need to hear-with the reality much different. While doing your homework, be sure to ask a lot of questions about a school's School Council and the election process. A School Council is designed to both advise a prinicipal but also to be the voice of the parents. It is really the only "checks and balances" a Catholic School has to impose accountability and limits. You will find that St. Peter's is solely based on "popularity" in the eyes of the principal and "popularity" is defined as "willingness to agree with the principal." The administration is secretive, manipulative and the school inevitably suffers. There is a reason enrollment has dramatically dropped in the last year--and it isn't the economy. It truly saddens me to witness the damage being done by an unchecked leader who does not have the success of the children and the school at heart. Beware.
—Submitted by a parent

Excellent teachers, facilities well-cared for and lots of space. Well-qualified teachers are caring and innovative. Academics are challenging and interesting electives. Great Science fair this year, History fair was awesome. Excellent math and language arts teachers. Science lab and art studio are amazing. A walk through campus reveals happy children and involved teachers. School is well run while maintaining reasonable tuition.
—Submitted by a parent

Dilapidated facilities, poor management of resources, teachers without a degree in teaching and/or no prior teaching experience, staff involved in scandals at other schools, very low academic levels... suffice it to say they have lost half of their students over the past two years and had to cut staff and faculty down accordingly. This is a poor excuse for a school and there are certainly much better places out there.
—Submitted by a parent

My kids and I love the school and would not think of going anywhere else!! Great academics and lots of extra-curricular activities! We now have golf and football will start next year! Great art and drama programs!
—Submitted by julia, a parent

In reference to the posting "The school is a welcoming community of teachers and administration", I disgaree strongly! We were active in both the school AND church community. We just did not write a check for tuition and take offense to your remarks! We removed our child from St. Peter's and our only regret is that we did not change schools any sooner! We did our our child an injustice by having the child attend the last two years the child was there! Buyer beware.
—Submitted by a parent

In reference to: In reference to the posting "The school is a welcoming community," I don't know you. If you thought that I was speak to you, then maybe something I said struck a nerve. Fact is, if you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem.
—Submitted by a parent

The school is a welcoming community of teachers and administration doing their best with scarce resources and lukewarm parent involvement. In fact, I suspect many of the negative reviews you read hear come from the uninvolved segment who seem to feel somewhat entitled to the benefits to be had from being involved simply because they write a check for tuition. If all you put in to a school is money (the going rate, btw), don't expect warm personal relationships. If you put in more of yourself, you will learn more about the others in the school community (teachers and administrators) that are working hard for very little renumeration and, sometimes, even less appreciation. I certainly wouldn't want their jobs. But I most certainly will support them in their work.
—Submitted by a parent

The education in Elementary school is commendable. I, a student, recieved a fantastic education from St. Peters. The problem is, as I moved into fifth and sixth grade, the education program became poor, to say the least. There were no challenges and one of my teachers had been a greeter at a restraunt right before taking the job. I was also disappointed in the students there. Some are bullies and some are bad influences. I must sound like I'm complaining, don't I? May I say that I was disappointed in the teachers and education in Middle School, otherwise, it's great! From a student's perspective.

Their MDO Program is excelent, the teachers are great and they care for the little ones , my son start is a little baby and ended the school year is a big boy, we relocated from San Antonio to Central Texas and we miss the school every day.
—Submitted by a parent

The atmosphere at St. Peter's is one of family. It is not the "newest" school, by any means, but that does not detract learning environment. Teachers are very accessible & open to feedback, and all seem to enjoy working with the children. There are a variety of extra-curricular programs offered, and the school activities (such as the fall carnival and "Dayosa" in the spring) are completely geared towards the children and their families. We are happy to send our children there. The principal and other members of the administration have always made us feel at home. Bottom line is this: If you are looking for an ultra-exclusive "we only take the creme-de-la-creme" type school, then choose another facility. If you are looking for a place where your children will be cared for, will learn in a healthy environment, and will grow academically and spiritually then this is the place for you.
—Submitted by a parent

I am very disappointed with the St. Peter's. Recently a teacher was forced to resign because she took a step forward to assist the school in its time of financial need. What's even more disappointing this teacher had more education than the principal. Bachelors, Masters, certified, and even working on a Phd. Its obvious that this teacher was not there for he money but for the students. to Many parents stepped up on her behalf to try to save her job but I guess the principal can't handle someone with a better education, better people skills, advocate for children of all learning backgrounds, and especially someone who is actually dedicated to the well being of the school. By the way since this happened there is no more Spanish or PE because they replaced the teacher with the Spanish/PE Teacher .
—Submitted by a parent

St. Peters offer decrepit physical facilities, underpaid teachers, and constant appeals to squeeze extra money out of students' parents. Campus is not handicap-accessible and school's primary purpose appears to be geared towards channeling tuition-paying students into Incarnate Word's costly high school and college programs.
—Submitted by a parent