St. Joseph School

I have 3 children who all have attended St. Joseph School since kindergarten. I have been very happy with their education. The Christian environment is very welcoming and accepting. The teachers truly care about the students. I was concerned about them making the transition from small private school to large public high school, but I think their strong foundation (both moral and academic ) gave them a great start. I have had 2 children graduate from St. Joseph School and are now in public high school. They were both very well prepared. My oldest is a junior and takes all honors and AP classes and currently has a 4.7 GPA. My other child just completed their first semester and has all As in honor classes.
--Submitted by a parent

St. Joe's school environment is awesome. The loving, caring, exciting, family-like atmosphere has made school a place my children love to attend. The academics are great, but families should remember that St. Joe is a Catholic school, not a magnet school for gifted and talented. Most classes are on par with strong public schools, What you get at St. Joe is a christian environment, with small class sizes and loving, caring faculty. Lots of nice extras, like an after school running club, middle school atheletics, and private piano lessons as part of the school day are just some of the offerings. Love it there!
--Submitted by a parent

We could not be any happier with this school! We are not Catholic and that was a concern at first, but we looked past the religious aspect and looked at the bigger picture. The education! We find the school is above West Virginia standards of education. We have also found the teachers dedication to the students to be impressive! They really are there for the kids. We have found the administrative staff always willing to listen to our thoughts and concerns. My only concern is that they only go the 8th grade. I cannot imagine what I will do then? I could not recommend a better school for any parent.
--Submitted by a parent

A great school. A little expensive, but worth it. My children are learning and happy to go to school. Excellent writing program.
--Submitted by a parent

Overall, it is a decent school. However, I would suggest that all potential parents check out their local public schools first. The public schools are more challenging academically and have more 'extra's to offer. Advanced math, foreign language as a regular course and a more detailed science program would all help St. Joe's to reach a higher standard of academics.
--Submitted by a parent

The elementry school teachers are great. The school is clean. But tuition increases, and every week they have a hand out for something new. Book fees for 10 - 15 yr old books? The student/teacher ratio isn't the 12 -1 they promise but 25-1 and 7th grade had 29 students. The lunches are awful and portions to small for growing kids. The same click of parents run everything, no one new can offer an opinion w/out scorn. I was glad my daughter graduated, I couldn;t have done another year.
--Submitted by a parent

I use to love the school, but since Sister Regina left the school lacks the same warmth and direction. The class sizes have increases almost as much as the tuition. Our child was sent to this school to receive both a good standard education but a religious one also. All they do now is sit and write scriptures that are timed. The teacher gets 45 min of quiet time. No once will he discuss the scripture. What a waste- There are a few good teachers, but not enough to put up with all of the nonsense.
--Submitted by a parent

St Joe's elem was fine, but we have been disappointed w/ the middle school. The bias that exists is unreal. The administration is not effective, The principle is too afraid to say no to parents with money, and the VP is so worn down he yells at everyone. Some of the teachers in the midddle school have been allowed to do things 'thier way' so long that they can't accept suggestions for change to save thier lives. Is it worth the money? Only for grades k-5-
--Submitted by a parent

lack of leadership in the middle school is the biggest issue. The Principle is afaid of the parents w/ money and the the VP is so worn down he screams at the kids. The cliques of parents are worse than the kids. The racest comments made were unbelievable for a 'good' Christian school. I'm glad it is my daughters last year. Diversity is definitly not valued at this school.
--Submitted by a parent

St. Joseph's is a caring wonderful school with great academics until the middle school years. Although it lacks great teaching in the middle school, the tradeoff is the environment is so much better than in the public middle schools in WV. The sports programs are also nice for the middle school kids. As for the elementary school, a parent couldn't ask for a better program and the teaching far exceeds the local public schools. The tuition is affordable, fundraising is the same as in public, and uniforms are actually cheaper than the fashion show required for the public school system.
--Submitted by a parent