St. Joseph Catholic School

i had a 6th grade boy that went here. we moved him to public school and he was WAY ahead than he ever was at a st joe's advanced class. they give your kid hmwk that they never did teach, and then they skip RIGHT over it. the school is also religiously strict. i know its a religious school, but if you even ASK to go to the bathroom during adoration, or to sit down if your not feeling good during the same thing, you get in trouble.
--Submitted by a parent

Another unhappy family. We are moving our child to a public school in Fischers Landing. St. Joe is an average school. Our child comes home with homework that the school hasn't taught!? At the parent teachers conference, the teacher stated this and told the parents that this will happen. So, I find myself spending an hour every evening doing the teacher's job for them. Parking is not good at the school and they release students at 2 on wed and if your 10 minutes late they charge you $25. I wish them the best.
--Submitted by a parent

If your child has ANY sort of medical condition, this is not your school. Your child's well-being and safety is of little importance to this school and staff. Our child was left to suffer through a moderate asthma attack even though her teacher and office staff had her medication. After being unable to locate the paperwork pertaining to our child's medication, they simply sent her to class to suffer through the remainder of the day. No phone call or email to parents, no nothing. Just let a child suffer. We attempted to ensure this would never happen again but the school defended it's position in not calling. The Priest defended it. The Principal defended it. The Office Staff defended it. To let a child suffer. Think twice, think three times and then think again before enrolling.
--Submitted by a parent

We have two students who have been at the school three years. This year they are in 7th and in 2nd grade. Our experience has been outstanding! Both of our children are significantly ahead academically of their same grade friends in public schools. All of the teachers our children have had have been very skilled, nurturing and loving. We feel we belong to a terrific community of teachers, administrators, support staff and concerned, involved and giving parents who consider their roles to be more of a mission than a duty. The teachers are all well qualified, most all of them have Master's Degrees. Because they are paid slightly less than teachers with the same credentials in public schools, they choose to teach at St Joseph's because they believe in what they are doing and what the school stands for - Gospel values!!! Thank you St. Joseph Catholic School.
--Submitted by a parent

My 6th grader has 4 hours of homework a night. He finds it hard to stay awake in class after having so much piled on him. The teachers and staff are all stuck up, and if you should think about taking your kid out, they fine you $1000! After struggling so hard we took him out, and put him in public school. I have no idea where all the money goes that they raise, but it's defiantly not into the school or the teachers. One teacher confided in me that public school teachers make more and have better benefits and job security. The principal always seemed nice, but get on her bad side and you will pay dearly! Glad to be out of this so called "christian" school, as they sure don't act like Christians there.
--Submitted by a parent

If your child does well on his or her own, this is a good school. The school teaches the students to be accountable for their work and it's timliness and prepares them well to move into upper grades. If your child has learning difficulties, be prepared to have it diagnosed and treated and tutored on your own. You will need to keep an eye on any learning problems that arise. The resources are not yet in place to help these children. Furthermore policies for accomodations can be quite rigid. It has been my experience that the principal has acted appropriately when there has a been a legitimate concern. I have met with her on several occasions and have consistently left feeling that the situation was resolved. Zero tolerance policies at THIS school are enforced! I would say success at this school depends on the learning style of your particular child
--Submitted by a parent

I am disappointed with the upper level middle school grades. I've been a parent at St Joe's for over 7 years...there seems to be no Grace in this Christian School. There seems to be an attempt to get a child to 'conform' to a specific way of being rather than nurture a natural learning style. Exceptional students are ignored and 'expected' to continue to flow as always with little guidance and encouragement...and only harsh criticism and backlash when struggling. There are significant 'clicks' in peer groups that are not addressed by the administration which negatively effects the over all learning experience. Shame really, there was a time when this school felt like a safe and lovely place to educate my children.
--Submitted by a parent

My children have been attending school there starting kindergarten in 2003. It was excellent......boy how quickly things can go bad. Ready to move all 3 children to a different school. Very sad because we used to love it there and most of the teachers are FANTASTIC.
--Submitted by a parent

Our children attended St. Joe's for 6 years and we have become truly disappointed. For the past 3 years the school's principal, Leslie Harrison, has been a great disappointment. Wonderful teachers have left, as well as families, most affected are the upper grades (5-8). The focus is no longer on learning, so we, as well as many other long time parishioners and families, made the difficult decision to leave. We are very happy at Our Lady of Lourdes, also in Vancouver, WA. Submitted by a parent
--Submitted by a parent

This is our first year at St Joes School but are long time parishoners of the church. My children and I love the experiences they have had and look forward to the future at this excellent school. The teachers are very caring and communicative. The administration goes the extra mile to keep a high level of academic excellence. Regardless of financial means, each family is treated equally and appreciated for their time and talent. Any child would be blessed to attend this school.
--Submitted by a parent