St. Paul's Academy

SPA offers a breath of fresh air after spending time in the public system. My child loves to go to school and is being challenged. The teachers are creative, weaving various subjects together, and go out of their way in support of the students. SPA offers a wonderful and supportive learning community in which my child is thriving academically & socially. And, yes, the class sizes are small.
--Submitted by a parent

Curriculum is so-so but perhaps best in this community, small class sizes but agree with previous reviewers; lack of challenge and traditional approach.
--Submitted by a parent

Tried SPA this year. Found the curriculum set to maximize to "state norms", lacking individual attention and creativity. The math curriculum was ineffectual at meeting our children's need for a higher level of math instruction. Curriculum was lacking in both math and sciences. Our daughter experienced early peer issues that we did not feel the teacher was very engaged in facilitating resolution. Traditional education approach; oublic school education at private school prices. Small class size is the only variable different from public. When we opted to exit before the end of the school year, the administration was only concerned with our payments and did not even question our motives to leave.
--Submitted by a parent

This is our 6th year at St. Pauls. It is a good fit for our child and our family. We are going through a transitional period and the parents who are involved are very dedicated to supporting our kids, the mission of the school and our faculty. Without exception, our teachers are incredible! Small class sizes are important to us and we get that at St. Paul's. Any social problems (dare I say bullying?) are dealt with immediately in a constructive manner...it's just not allowed. I agree with the comments below regarding the payment of tuition for a full year even if the school is not a good fit. I think this policy needs revisiting...and I'm sure it could be revisited if people complain about it enough. St. Paul's really makes a point to change things that aren't working...and we, as parents, get to voice our opinion. No school is perfect - St. Pauls is perfect for our family...that's what matters to us.
--Submitted by a parent

I agree with a previous parent's review. Being made to pay for a whole years tuition, when a child is a poor fit for this school, is a true hardship on a family and does not represent true christian values and compassion toward others. The head of the school should discuss this with the parents and help in making a decision best for the individual child. By the way - my child has excelled in Public School since leaving St. Paul.
--Submitted by a parent

I have not been impressed with public school options in Washington State, or the other local private schools, so we enrolled our daughter at St. Paul's--this is now her second year. It is a solid academic program and the most "college prep" of any school in the county. Great teachers so far, parents are so involved it is a little scary. There has been some turmoil at the top dealing with funding of the high school, but the dust seems to have settled on that. I would definitely recommend this school to other parents.
--Submitted by a parent

St. Paul's does require parents to pay a full year's tution no matter what the reason for withdrawl of the student. No school is ever perfect for every student or family. By requiring parents to pay no matter the reason, the school applies financial pressure on families to keep their child in a school which is not a good fit for the student. Some penalty for withdrawl prior to year end is common and understandable. Full enforcement is a warning sign to beware of.

St. Paul's is a great school! For the first time, my child is being challenged academically. Teachers are superior - caring and competent. The principal only hires the best. Class sizes are low and teachers meet the academic needs of students.
--Submitted by a parent

Our Daughter started at SPA this year and we love it. She is being challenged academically in new ways and is loving being part of a small dynamic environment. I searched high and low for a school for my child and feel that St Paul's is the perfect place for any student looking for small classes, involved teachers and parents and a strong academic program. I disagree with the previous reviewer's post about similarity to public school - it is head and shoulders above the PS program in Bellingham in my opinion.
--Submitted by a parent

I can't emphasize enough that St. Paul's is a school to be extremely cautious of. While some teachers are excellent and deserve high praise, the administration undermines their ability to create a cohesive learning environment. The school fired an excellent teacher mid-year without cause and brought in a replacement a huge disruption to student learning. While the school purports to be a christian school it lacks compassion for families in need and makes no exceptions in their contracts even with many months notice and in cases of extreme financial crisis or when the school is incapable of meeting the needs of students that require extra services. Some teachers have excellent communication while others wait until the last week of school to report serious learning deficiencies in student progress (thus making it impossible to withdraw students that require special services). Their curriculum is nearly identical to that of the public schools.
--Submitted by a parent