Nativity Catholic School in Brandon | Military Town Advisor

Posted: August 12, 2024

Bullying situation is horrible. Admin won't do anything about it and will try to turn everything against you. The school do not promove respect and good environment between kids, so its a beautiful school with a terrible administration and a toxic environment.

Posted: August 12, 2024

Posted: August 22, 2022

I would highly recommend this school. I have two kids currently attending this school. I have had nothing but great experiences at this school. I especially love the Christ centered curriculum which in turn has brought my family closer to GOD. We love this school!

Posted: August 22, 2022

Posted: August 16, 2022

I have put 4 children through Nativity and it has been a place for them all to still call their home. They were prepared, both academically and spiritually, and have grown into strong successful adults.

Posted: August 16, 2022

Posted: August 13, 2022

My experience is that if your son speaks Spanish they will not accept him because they cannot help him. If he was not born here, he must have a current visa, it must not be expired because he cannot be qualified to enter that school. Too bad a Catholic school is so discriminatory.

Posted: August 13, 2022

Posted: May 4, 2021

How sad to see the decline of this once great school. The leadership, if you can call it that, is woefully incompetent, inexperienced and cliquish. Parents are turned away and discouraged from being on campus, and there is a dedicated policy preventing students from being singled out for achievement. It's no wonder Nativity lacks the support of its alumni as students and families leave in the 8th grade (or sooner) and never want to look back.

Posted: May 4, 2021

Posted: April 29, 2021

Its been heartbreaking to see the decline of this once great school. Their best years are behind as the current administration is incompetent, lacks integrity and ignores data and feedback from the students and parents.
Teachers are generally very caring in character but not all are equipped to teach curriculum. The school has lost their best talent and the quality of instruction and formation has suffered for it.

Posted: April 29, 2021

Posted: March 25, 2020

My child did have some happy moments and certainly loved some of her teachers, she also made some good friends, she also experienced bullying that went ignored, Academically, her needs were met, not necessarily challenged. Overall, our experience while filled with many joyous occasions that I am very thankful for, I cannot say it was worth the hurt inflicted upon my child.

Posted: March 25, 2020

Homework seems to be given just for the sake to be given. Homework should reinforce skills mastered during class and not used as a reteaching tool. Too many times, I have heard parents complain their student have no idea what is going on with the homework assignment and students are often told by their teacher to just attempt the homework, whether they understand it or not.

Posted: March 25, 2020

While there are a few effective teachers, there are far too many ineffective teachers. Teachers who do not understand or practice best practices and standards, they are unable to differentiate classroom lessons. While Nativity does now have an Enrichment Program for students who are deemed to excel academically, those students are left with teachers who are still incapable of meeting their educational needs. It's disheartening.

Posted: March 25, 2020

With the motto and religious education, students are certainly exposed to Catholic values. Mom teachers also model Christ's principles. However, there is an underlying environment of bullying which administration completely ignores. The victim is blamed or their complaints are downplayed. Students feel helpless as their parents with the double talk from administration. Students either have to cope and parents are made to feel as if their student is somehow causing the "attacks" upon themselves. Nothing goes on record only the rare meeting or even phone calls but if a parent dare pushes the envelope, the school will discover multiple reasons not to extend an invitation for your student to return, so parents stay and students suffer. The guidance counselor is a joke, she talks the talk but certainly does not walk the walk. Reading books on certain subject matters, planning time to meet with groups maybe, but actually addressing issues facing individual students, no she's unable to provide any help for students in need.

Posted: March 25, 2020

Leadership is a revolving door. It's like playing "who's on first" every other year.

Posted: March 25, 2020

Students who learn differently, students on support plans, 504's, IEP's, etc receive some services. For instance, if your assignment public school would've provided your student with resources, then your student would more often than not receive services because they are provided by outside educators who come into the school however if your assigned public school would not have offered such services, then just hope for the best. Your are told point blank, they are not required by law to honor any 504 or IEP's, but also know retention is an option for your child.

Posted: March 25, 2020

Bullying is ignored when reported. I did address this above.

Posted: October 31, 2019

Out of 100 i would give it a 0 becasue this school does not support bullying

Posted: October 31, 2019

Teachers don't explain the homework and if they get something worng the don't tell us why and how it is wrong

Posted: October 31, 2019

Posted: August 24, 2018

Personally, I learned a lot from experience. The goal was for me to learn about God and work hard, but I learned how to be more social. It prepares you for the world. But, this is my opinion. Everyone is allowed to have an opinion, so you or your child's experience may be different.

Posted: August 24, 2018

The homework at Nativity is nothing special. It is, however, very time consuming and sometimes unnecessary. When I attended Nativity, I found myself often confused while doing homework and having to spend all afternoon working on it.

Posted: August 24, 2018

I am neutral again because the teachers at Nativity are like the carnival duck game: you do not choose who you get, so you may get either a good one or a bad one. Sometimes, both teachers are very effective, will others are just strict.

Posted: August 24, 2018

It can be hard being a new student, especially at Nativity. Even those who had been there longer than I had barely any friends, and not being popular is a social sin in higher grades (middle school). So, be warned if you do not make friends immediately. (Don't worry, you will 'physically' survive)

Posted: August 24, 2018

It seems like those who have been at Nativity the longest are entitled to be always leading. But, from personal experience, I had not attended the school for very long and got chosen to be a leader minimal times.

Posted: August 24, 2018

Last year, a classmate I had came from homeschooling all his life. This was his first year ever attending school. He was very deeply rooted in his faith; it was quite impressive. But, he was not very social, so this caused him trouble. He was mocked and ridiculed by my classmates. My teacher even spoke to the class about their rudeness when I was absent. Sadly, they did not listen at all and continued throughout the year.
Long story short, the school did nothing to help him. If only they had given him a chance...

Posted: June 20, 2018

My children went to the school for four years. Like in most schools you have good and bad teachers but the administration is the absolute worst and that also includes The pastor. Absolutely deplorable.

Posted: June 20, 2018

I have known parents with children with Minor disabilities that have taken their children out of the school.

Posted: June 20, 2018

We enjoyed some of the teachers they were great. But we need to go back to the administration the absolute worstThis is why my kids are no longer in the school. The administration actually made things worse.

Posted: June 20, 2018

We enjoyed some of the teachers they were great. But we need to go back to the administration the absolute worst

Posted: March 9, 2018

The interim principal is extremely rude and abrasive. She is extremely incompetent and should NOT able allowed to become a real principal. Her way of handling situations is to ignore them. In the last 4 years there have been 4 principals...there is something terribly wrong!

Posted: March 9, 2018

Very poor! Little is done to make a child successful, especially with very large classrooms with almost 40 kids!

Posted: March 9, 2018

Posted: February 28, 2018

Bullying is mildly addressed, but is a real issue, especially in the super size classrooms with almost 40 students.

Posted: February 28, 2018

Extremely poor, this is more of a day care than a learning institution. The school should really try to keep up with public school standards instead of fooling parents into thinking they are providing a superior education.

Posted: February 28, 2018

Homework consists of ditto work as mentioned her...thats a FACT!

Posted: February 28, 2018

Some of the teachers are very nice while others are extremely incompetent. They run their class like an assembly line and pass kids on to the next grade.

Posted: February 28, 2018

How can you build character by almost 40 students in a class and instead of having interactive sessions, teachers dictate work to make it through subjects.

Posted: February 28, 2018

Support plans allow bumpy seats and Velcro strips under the desk, thats what a support plan consist of. They consistently over promise and under deliver at your kids expense and future. My son was treated as a second class citizen and provided nothing more than a bumpy seat and Velcro strip. Maybe additional time to complete tests but no consistent structure to learn complex material.

Posted: February 27, 2018

I have been a parent at Nativity for 24 years! The foundation this school has provided all of my children is what sets them apart. They were academically and spiritually prepared for life.

Posted: February 27, 2018

Our family loves Nativity! Students are academically challenged in a safe, supportive environment. Hearing about all the crazy things going on in the world we find comfort in knowing Nativity provides moral and spiritual development. We feel confident that we are setting our kids up for future success.

Posted: February 27, 2018

Our children attended Nativity and I am so proud to say that my children are looking forward to enrolling their own children at Nativity. Best investment we ever made was giving our children a Christ-centered and rigorous academic education .

Posted: August 18, 2017

My Son has been attending Nativity Catholic School for the past 4 years and has loved and loves all of his teachers. Not only is Nativity providing an excellent academic benchmark, but also spiritually and socially. The parents and staff are very involved in the full education experience and preparing all students for a successful high school transition. I can't imagine my son anywhere else. The lines of communication between Parents, Staff, and Students are always open. I highly recommend Nativity Catholic to all families looking for a safe, respectful, faith based, & challenging education to enrich your child's life and start them with a good solid foundation for future excellence.

Posted: August 18, 2017

Posted: May 31, 2017

My son recently graduated from Jesuit High School. He was a graduate of Nativity Catholic School. I can't say enough for how well the school prepared him academically, but even more importantly, spiritually. Nativity provided a strong foundation of faith. That experience was strengthened by the Youth Group throughout his high school years. We made the best decision!

Posted: November 10, 2016

We have had a great experience at Nativity, and our daughter is doing excellent academically. Administration seems very on top of things and I love the Catholic education.

Posted: November 10, 2016

Our daughter has been at Nativity for over 5 years and we can't imagine her going anywhere else. From the wonderful, caring teachers and other administration, to the students, it has been a wonderful experience for all of us. We love the high academic standards and values they are teaching her. The only complaint we have is that it stops after junior high and doesn't go all the way through high school.

Posted: November 10, 2016

Our family is so thankful to have found Nativity Catholic School for our children. This is our fourth year at Nativity and my children are in a loving, safe and stimulating environment. The teachers at Nativity are the finest around and always go above and beyond. The families are involved and supportive and the students are engaged in learning and respectful. The only thing that could be better is the class size. However, the classrooms have a teacher and an assistant in them to help out the student/teacher ratios. If you want to see the amazing difference In our school compared to others, I suggest coming to a school mass on Wednesday morning at 8:15. You will see the whole school; students, teachers and administration in action. I am in awe of our students every time I attend. You will see student leadership at its finest.

Posted: November 10, 2016

I love this school. We are very happy with our daughter's faith formation.

Posted: November 10, 2016

I always knew that NCS was for my son once he turned 4. The education is great and the attention to detail that each faculty, staff and parent gives is amazing! The school schedule and system has been great since the very beginning. In addition to that, the help of the teachers and guidance counselor has been wonderful, since my son has a few issues. The school has been "on the ball" when it came to identifying and helping to work on a special agenda that would allow help but also not make him feel left-out!
I am grateful for everything NCS has done for my son and my family! I am a proud cougar parent!

Posted: September 7, 2016

If you asked me 4 years ago, I would have a completely different view of this school. My daughter attended here for 2nd-5th grade. Things started out good. Then, at the tail end of her 4th grade year, the teacher the started to make reference to her attention issues. 5th grade ended up being horrible. She apparently was on lunchtime detection everyday for weeks, and I wasn't notified until the end of the first semester. In February, they called me in for a meeting, when they let me know that she was such a distraction that she was not invited back next year. This took me completely by surprise because there was no real communication that would lead me to leave this was even a possibility. Her 6th grade year, she was diagnosed with a combined type of ADD/ADHD. I tried to bring that back to Nativity to see if she would be accepted back, and they would not accept her because she had not been diagnosed long enough for then to gauge the results of her medication!

So, in summary, they dropped the ball on recogoing there was an issue, and then refused to acknowledge that or even consider readmission. So much for good Catholic values. I would send any one of my kids there if it were free! Also, the overcrowded classes is absolutely true. In the years we attended, my daughter never had a class size under 30. Try Villa Madonna. They are impressive!

Posted: January 13, 2015

I love this school very much the only negative thing is the class size....over crowded ...

Posted: December 17, 2014

A Students Review: This school has a wonderful academic program. The teachers try their best to discipline and are VERY sweet, and kind. The only issue is the "bad kids." I feel like their holding the rest of my class "back." They're very annoying and whenever they behave badly I feel like the teacher MUST attend and stop them. Possibly more classes? Maybe putting "advanced" and "need-help" separated. In Spanish we seperate the room to "Under Stand" and "Need Help" Besides this fully honestly I love this school and going to a different one would not be needed. I'm happy I crossed paths with this school and everyone in it. I made friends I known for literally forever now. I love this school and everyone in it. COUGARSFTW!!!

Posted: November 1, 2014

Terrible! I sent my kids here thinking a private education would be better than public. Well, I am about to pull them out of this school and send them BACK to public school. Like the previous commenter, we have 37 kids in one second grade class. Not only that, but the teacher leaves an hour early each day to go pick up her own kids! The curriculum is AWFUL. My second grader is doing math that literally a four-year-old could do easily. The teachers are noncommunicative, and if you have meetings with the administration they are defensive and ridiculous. The principal is leaving after this school year, though, so maybe things will get better. I know my kids won't be the guinea pigs! My fourth grader has 33 in his class. Last year in public school he only had 17! They promised me they could provide gifted education - that is a bald-faced LIE. They have no individualization of curriculum like the administration likes to say. Classes are so overcrowded they are a fire hazard. Oh, and did I forget to mention the lack of internet? Yeah, the entire computer system was not installed until THREE WEEKS after school started! Teachers had NO email. I heard they cap class size at FIFTY!!! Beware!

Posted: September 8, 2014

Zero stars. Would NOT recommend. Overcrowded classrooms, and inferior, secular (COMMON CORE) curriculum are reason alone to steer away from Nativity. The overwhelming reason to avoid is the incompetent administration that is hostile toward families through its use of zero tolerance policies and non-communication with parents. There is a mass exodus of long time families over this. This USED TO BE the best school in town. Get your precious children OUT of this inferior institution. If you are looking for a classic, CATHOLIC curriculum, the best alternative in Brandon is Cutting Edge Learning Academy, or home school.

Posted: August 17, 2014

Love our teachers every year, they are the best! Class sizes are the biggest dissatisfied for parents. Each year the class size creeps up a few. This year my daughters 2nd grade class has 37 students which is ridiculous.

Posted: September 6, 2012

My daughter just started at Nativity this year in middle school. She thinks the teachers are great and really care about the students. She feels right at home after only 3 weeks. Can't imagine a better place to have my daughter during these important formative years.

Posted: June 1, 2012

My children attend Nativity and I cannot imagine them going anywhere else. This school combines high academic standards with morals and values. It is a beautiful thing to watch your children grow spiritually and emotionally as well as intellectually. There are outstanding teachers at this school that are not afraid to get their hands dirty. Their daily lessons are filled with hands on, out of the box ideas that get kids moving and thinking. Nativity has tremendous support from the parents and the church community which gives it a true community feel. All parents are encouraged to be highly involved.

Posted: May 10, 2012

A faith filled loving community where a strong academic program challenges the children's intellectual abilities and stimulates their interest in learning. My two children look forward to school every morning. They feel secure and happy at Nativity, their second home

Posted: March 21, 2012

This is the worst school ever, i was a student last year and left because it was so unorganized and the teachers had no control over the class, the kids could just do what ever they wanted. Another problem is that there are 40 kids in one class so we learn almost nothing and the teachers wasted lots of time on almost everything. I would rather not be educated then go to Nativity :)

Posted: March 9, 2012

The class sizes are a problem. Although the teachers are extremely caring, dedicated and hard working they can not effectively teach when confronted with so many children with a variety of needs and levels of understanding. Discipline is also an issue. The "good kids" are used as buffers to calm the "bad kids". The last principal was not an effective administrator and under her supervision, or lack thereof, Nativity has been consistently sinking from an excellent school to only an average one. It is my hope that the next principal chosen will be able to salvage what remains and bring the school back to its former glory. They need to challenge those students who are not being intellectually stimulated, address discipline issues strictly and swiftly, enforce the rules, and encourage all to achieve their best.

Posted: February 6, 2012

High student teacher ratio. Very disciplined and structured in culture both church and scool, classroom structure and cirriculum and administration.

Posted: November 12, 2011

Wonderful, energetic and loving teachers....still have a problem with the class sizes (36 students.) So many great ways for young and old students to interact and show leadership and build on their character and Christian values but I am not sure academically that it is the school it once was.

Posted: October 23, 2011

My children have attended Nativity the past 2 years. My children span the range from bright to average, special needs to independent. They have all been treated lovingly from the moment they expressed an interest in the school. Sure, the class size is large, but they are loved and taught in the foundation of Christian faith. My child with special needs was met with help and assistance as needed, but allowed us as parents to be involved in deciding what was best. My children have flourished. Coming from a school where they weren't valued as Children of God, their self-esteem has sky-rocketed. Academically, it is right on par with other schools. I am grateful we found Nativity!

Posted: September 14, 2011

I went to Nativity Catholic School from K - 8th. It is truly a great school filled with faith filled teachers and a great philosophy on education. I felt the teachers really cared about me when I went to school there. I loved Nativity so much; I felt it calling me back. I am now a teacher at Nativity and feel the same love and warmth. It is important for me to continue to portray to my students the same feeling and atmosphere I grew up in. This school is filled with love, patience, and compassion. When a student doesn t understand, we teach it a different way so that they can. Every student is important because they are a child of God and we believe that and want them to as well!

Posted: September 11, 2011

I just read about the 50th anniversary for Nativity Catholic School. This prompted me to think back on my children's early years in school. They have both been admitted into their college of choice and I can say without a doubt the foundation they received while attending Nativity for eleven years was well worth the sacrafice. The education and faith experience they received at Nativity prepared them well for honors and AP classes in High School which not doubt was important when completing their college applications. As a parent I found it extrememly easy to get involved in school and parish activities and still consider Nativity my home. Thank you Nativity for your contribution to the wonderful, respeful, respected young adults my children have become.

Posted: June 9, 2011

My three children have gone to Nativity for the last two years. The extremely large class sizes are a huge issue not only for a child who struggles and needs extra support but also for the child who is in need of additional work to challenge and excel them forward. The basic philosophy at Nativity is also a problem. Bullying is an issue and is not taken care of. The bullied child is left to fend for themselves and suffer the consequences later. Furthermore, some housekeeping of the staff needs to be done as one of my children was verbally abused and manhandled as a behavior tactic. Upon confronting the teacher of this I was ignored until it was brought to administrations attention and then we only received an appology out of the simple fact that they were "caught". I wouldn't send my children here again even if it was free. I feel parents need to have the information needed in making a sound decision concerning where they put their precious children day after day. I wish I had had that opportunity. Now we are dealing with the reprecussions of a child who hates school and thinks he will be treated this way other places. There are better options in the area.

#	Name	Type	City	State	Distance
1	FishHawk Ranch	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Lithia	FL	6.7 mi
2	Fish Hawk Ranch	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Lithia	FL	7.2 mi
3	Fishhawk Ranch	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Lithia	FL	8 mi
4	Panther Trace	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Riverview	FL	9 mi
5	Avelar Creek	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Riverview	FL	9.7 mi
6	Hyde Park	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Tampa	FL	12.6 mi
7	The Pavillions	Apartment Complex	Tampa	FL	13.9 mi
8	Harbour Isles	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Apollo Beach	FL	16 mi
9	Westchase	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Tampa	FL	21.4 mi

#	Name	City	State	Distance
1	Fishhawk Ranch /Lithia FL	Lithia	FL	7.5 mi
2	South Tampa	Tampa	FL	13.8 mi
3	South of Gandy (SOG)	Tampa	FL	14.2 mi

Base	Distance
MacDill AFB	14.1 mi.
Coast Guard Clearwater	25.7 mi.

Nativity Catholic School

Brandon, FL 33511

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Nativity Catholic School

Brandon, FL 33511

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