St. Augustine School

Saint Augustine Catholic School was the worst decision we made with respect to educating our child. I must say, Sister Gloria is wonderful, however, she is just one person there and seems to be influenced by the teachers. The school has a high turnover ratio for the teaching staff. The teachers seem to be the very worst of the worst. It has been a nightmare for my family. The school is disorganized and the staff members are rude and dismissive. The school has a very severe bulling problem. The school has a policy which states: parents are not allowed to go to their child's classroom, nor are they allowed to converse with their child's teacher without permission from the school. I believe St. Augustine may have once been a very good school, but that is not the case now. The teacher's are ill-equip to handle the student's. St. Augustine teacher's are inexperienced, ghetto, and have no respect for parents. They enter grades and when you, as a concerned parent, question them, they become combative. Please spear yourself and your child(ren) the pain of despair and helplessness at this school.
--Submitted by a parent

Sister Gloria is top in her leadership working diligently to propel the students to high levels academically and socially in a safe and God fearing environment. She is building a team along with religious and lay to create a healthy and promising future for our children. My husband and I shall not forget that it was in her hand to build my son up or reject him. She trusted GOD and gave him a chance. He in turn has soared; performing at the top of class in many areas. We are still working with him together as a team to ensure we encourage and nurture his his fun loving spirit while instilling discipline when required. The results as evidenced by my son's report card which we received today are amazing. Any parent would be thankful and humbled by what was brought home. Not only are the grades good but we are learning a great deal from him based on what he is learning. Submitted by a parent Write your own review Submitted by a parent Write your own review
--Submitted by a parent

St. Augustine School added a Fencing Club during the 2010-2011 school year, and enrollment increased 10 percent due to the school's continued strong reputation in the community. The school also employs a Resource Teacher to work with more advanced students and tutors to work with students performing below grade level individually. Ninety percent of our teachers and administrators this year had at least one Master's degree. We have a strong Catholic identity, in part through the work of the Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus, who run our school. We welcome you to experience our family-like atmosphere.
--Submitted by a teacher

As a current 8th grader at St. Augustine School (SAS), there is a lot to be said. I attended public school for all of my life up until the beginning of the seventh grade. When I transferred to SAS, the enviromental change was overwhelming. I went from an over-protective and closed enviroment, to one that was loud and chaotic. Nothing was in order and the teachers seemed to follow their own rules. There is absolutely no variation in the activities that happen at SAS. Despise the efforts of many students, very little can be accomplished. There is no doubt in my mind that SAS might have been a school thriving with rich history and students who wanted to do as St. Augustine of Hippo did, "Learn to love, and love to learn." But, being in the environment I am, the students depise learning and anything to do with it! The work that we get is redundant and not on grade level..even the teachers tell us they give us BELOW grade-level work!! Whatever greatness SAS was, it isn't now!! Teachers are too comfortable and LAZY and do everything they can to avoid change! If I could repick the school I had to rush into, SAS wouldn't have been a consideration, to say the least.

Sr. Gloria works selflessly, she has a big heart and really wants to take the school to the next level but I don't think that she has the full co-operation of her teachers. It seems the teachers are so used to doing things their way that they resist change that brings progress. As long as that continues to occur, students will not be challenged academically to be all they can be and the school will remain mediocre. The students themselves complain that they are not being taught effectively and to make up the teachers work, they flood the students with tons of home work which they have not been taught. The school needs a lot of improvement and I must stress, the faculty has a lot to do with it, they are too comfortable. Wake Up People.
--Submitted by a parent

St, Augustine's standards are set high, sacrafices have been made to ensure that the technological tools are available to achieve the goals set, classe sizes are small enough to provide individual attention, and performance has improved over the last two years. From what I can tell, the students are promerly motivated to acheive up to their individual potentials.
--Submitted by a parent

It is so refreshing to be at a school where the children can be taught to pray and even go to church once a week! There are three nuns in the school including the principal and two priest who visit and teach the children regularly. The pre-K children are already reading! I am just so pleased at all that the staff and others have done to make St Augustine a great school for the children

St. Augustine School is well known for the way the principal and teachers care about the students, the church next door and the learning that takes place there. The teachers with their religious background actually inspire the students to to excel and to do well in life. They are encouraged to study hard, come to school everyday, turn it homework and to get involved in other school activities as well as extracurricular community based activies. In fact, many of the students that attend St. Augustine are involved in additional activities that further enhance their learning and athletic skills. St. Augustine School is known for good things and I would recommend it to every parent who wants their child to be successful in life.

St. Augustine is one of the best school's in Washington, D.C. to work in and to send your child to. We are dedicated teachers and we love what we do! The teachers work together as a team to collaborate with the administration and staff to find effective ways to meet the needs of all students. St. Augustine is aware that some students may need extra support to strengthen an area in their academics. St. Augustine currently has a Title 1 program, a reading specialist, and Christ Child tutors, who provide assistance to those student's, who are in need. We strive to make sure that all students are learning, understanding, demonstrating, and using their higher order thinking skills in the classroom and beyond. We love our students!
--Submitted by a teacher

St. Augustine School has the highest enrollment it's had in 10 years and now has three Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus sisters working full-time at the school. The school has the strong support of many parishioners of St. Augustine Parish, and any visitor who walks the halls of the school can witness the school's Catholic identity in the artwork of the students, the prayers they say and the lessons they learn.