St Thomas Episcopal School

Posted: February 1, 2018

Posted: February 1, 2018

Posted: February 1, 2018

Posted: February 1, 2018

Posted: February 1, 2018

Posted: February 1, 2018

Posted: February 1, 2018

St. Thomas has been a wonderful place for both of our children. Our daughter started in GOT in 2014, and our son entered the Pre-K2 program. We planned to put our daughter in public kindergarten the following year, but we fell in love with the school, so the rest, I guess, is history! Our daughter is currently in 2nd grade, and our son is in Pre-K4. There is significant cost to private school education, certainly, but we truly believe the sacrifices are worth it, and we appreciate that St. Thomas works hard to keep tuition reasonable. The staff at St. Thomas is incredibly warm and caring -- of course, my children grow close to their individual teachers every year, but EVERY member of the staff knows and cares for my child with compassion, gentle directness, and thoughtfulness. Every day both of my kids get to enjoy the AMAZING one-acre playground behind the school. It's wooded, and filled with numerous playscapes, musical instruments, climbable towers, playhouses, and a sports court. Daily play is important to me, and I'm delighted that, even as a second grader, my daughter gets to run around for at least 45 minutes a day. Daily chapel has done much to shape my children. Parents have a standing invitation to this interactive service, and storytelling and music make the most important lessons from the bible come alive. Questions are encouraged, and kids play a part in the service too, through daily readings, carrying the cross, and musical offerings. Community service is another huge part of the St. Thomas culture, and it's celebrated here monthly. Small classes and dedicated teachers create a nurturing environment and individualized curriculum, and the STEAM-focused academic offerings are robust and contemporary. Several times a week, my kids attend Spanish, art, PE, and music. We are excited for the new building that will soon be underway. Parents are very involved in all aspects of St. Thomas life, and there are numerous family-friendly and events throughout the year that create opportunities for fellowship. We are San Antonio transplants, as well as Episcopalians, and my husband and I really feel that we've found a home at St. Thomas. I have made some of my best friends here, and so have my children. Every day I'm surrounded by a selfless staff that is truly called to their work, and humble parents dedicated to raising compassionate, thoughtful kids.

Posted: October 4, 2017

Poor teacher oversight. Administrator has many complaints and doesn't do anything about it.

Posted: October 4, 2017

Posted: October 4, 2017

Posted: October 4, 2017

When I spoke with the head administrator about a teacher calling my child to the front of the class to yell at them causing them to cry, NOTHING to my knowledge was done about it.

Posted: October 4, 2017

Posted: October 4, 2017

Posted: September 3, 2017

Posted: September 3, 2017

Posted: September 3, 2017

Posted: September 3, 2017

Posted: September 3, 2017

Posted: September 3, 2017

Posted: September 3, 2017

St. Thomas is a school with small class sizes, allowing for the focus of individual students, and good one-on-one time. It is a well-nurturing environment for young kids, teaching them how to be kind and respectful, while not talking down on them, from a young age. However, this tends to stop at around the second grade. Once past this phase, students are still disciplined, yet not spoken to as young children, but rather as toddlers, seemingly talked down to. The education is subpar, and tends lacking after the third grade, though the language department is superb. Despite the school's goal to teach children to be loving and caring to one another, the administration seems to be insufficient in conflict resolution and teaching the students to look at the bigger picture, as well as explore world views and widen their horizons.

St. Thomas is an excellent place for young children to learn about the basics, though if you want your child to be challenged, especially past the age of about six or seven, this may not be the school for you.

Posted: March 21, 2016

The teachers are well-qualified and work hard to provide a positive learning experience. The small class sizes and the challenging curriculum lead to excellent ITBS scores, but more importantly, students learn to love learning.

Posted: March 21, 2016

Posted: March 21, 2016

Students at St. Thomas learn to respect themselves, others, and God's resources. Due to the faith-based nature of the school, children gain a strong moral compass.

Posted: December 13, 2015

St. Thomas has a number of good things about it - small class sizes, an amazing playground, and the number and variety of extracurricular activities all make St. Thomas an appealing option. However, at least at the lower grades, you should steer clear if you have a child, especially a boy, who is immature or unruly. The teachers in the lower grades do not have the classroom management skills or patience to work well with children who don't delight in pleasing adults and doing seatwork.

Posted: September 13, 2015

Posted: September 13, 2015

Posted: September 13, 2015

Posted: September 13, 2015

My child attended St. Thomas from age 3 through fifth grade. My husband and I are advocates of both public and private and never expected to stay through the private school years. However, we did continue after preschool. For our family and for several others, private school has provided a family atmosphere and a genuine one-on-one elementary education both spiritually and academically. We are not of the Episcopalian religion, but St. Thomas embraces and respects different religions. My oldest has gone on to the public school nearby and loves it--at St. Thomas she also scores in the grades 13+ on the ITBS test. She qualified for advanced Math, Reading, and Language at the public middle school and is thriving. She learned great organizational skills from her teachers over the years and we are blessed to have had St. Thomas in our lives. Our youngest still attends, and we know it is providing her with a good education. No school is perfect, but for us, this school has been a blessing.

Posted: May 27, 2015

Posted: May 27, 2015

Posted: May 27, 2015

Posted: May 27, 2015

My son has transformed since starting St Thomas. IRS a nurturing and academically high standard school. I highly recommend St Thomas to anyone.

Posted: May 5, 2015

My daughter is finishing her fifth year at St. Thomas and I wanted to take a moment to share what a blessing the school has been in our lives. I used to teach in a public school and I am constantly amazed at how much personal time St. Thomas teachers pour into the students and school. My daughter has flourished with the smaller class sizes and has the confidence to try new things. Her teachers have been stellar - she scored 13+ in many areas of her Iowa tests. We toured other schools and I've had friends recommend their child's school but I have yet to find one that provides the small, innocence-protecting, faith-based environment we have received at St. Thomas. I rarely put my seal of approval on anything as important as a child's education and emotional well-being, but I would not hesitate to recommend St. Thomas. We love it.

Posted: June 26, 2014

The School Director, Dr. Debra Root is just fantastic! Not only is she an excellent teacher-educator, but a wonderful communicator and manager of her staff. We are very fortunate to have her at St. Thomas.

Posted: July 11, 2013

St. Thomas Episcopal School offers a supportive, caring environment in which children can learn about how to develop their gifts and talents while learning in classrooms with small student/teacher ratios. The school offers special classes in art, music, Spanish, computers, physical education, and Bible education. As the new principal of the school, I have been welcomed by the students, parents, school staff, and church staff. Exciting things are planned for St. Thomas including a robotics club for upper school, inquiry-based science and science note-booking, incorporation of curriculum for gifted education, and a multifaceted language arts program. We offer summer camps and after school enrichment that is open to the public. Children have opportunities to visit our library for pleasure reading and research. Parents are an important part of the school and have an active Parent-Teacher Fellowship. The church considers the school a very important ministry at St. Thomas.

Posted: June 18, 2013

Excellant teachers and cirriculem with advanced training and strong Christian values. Facilities and parent involvment are priorities and improving.

Posted: June 18, 2013

Our child has completed the Gift of Time program. We are amazed how he has grown academically, socially, and spiritually. This school is setting a solid foundation for our son's academic years. We are indebted to the wonderful teachers and staff who give of themselves, in order, for their students to succeed. This is all coming from an 18 yr. public school veteran. We have decided as a family the finacial commitment to have our son attend St. Thomas Episcopal School is worth the investment.

Posted: May 29, 2013

This school was a bit of a disappointment for me. My daughter came from an excellent public school in another city and I sent her to private school in the hopes of keeping her challenged. In some aspects she was challenged, but in others she totally wasn't. She had some difficulties with other children several times and I had some difficulties with parents several times. I also had some issues with certain things I felt should be policy but weren't. I also feel that when there were awards given, or other things that recognized students, they pretty much always went to either a teacher's (or school employee's) child or an active volunteer's child. Anyway, I rated this school a 3 because I felt it was average. I don't feel that it was any better than a public school would have been. The playground is awesome (as long as the teacher actually gives them enough time to play on it) but because of some decisions the school has made, which I feel were errors on their part, my child will not return next year.

Posted: May 14, 2013

We have had our children here for three years. We absolutely love this school. The teachers and staff are wonderful! They have so much to offer for a smaller private school. There is a great sense of community at this school. My youngest has attended since she was 2 and my oldest started in Pre-K. My youngest is now in Pre-K and is more than ready for Kinder next year. My oldest is in 1st grade and I am amazed daily by her reading, writing and math skills. The classes are small and there is a lot of individual interaction between teacher and student. I really can't say enough about this school. It is a sacrifice every month to keep our children in private school. But when I think about how important the elementary ages are it is well worth the sacrifice.

Posted: March 6, 2013

We absolutely positively LOVE this school, and are sad to be leaving it. Our children started out in the lower school as 4 year olds and continued on to upper school there. The Christian environment teaches them how to love one another and be responsible for their own actions where the quality of the education they have recieved is phenomenal. I cannot sing enough praises about St. Thomas! Every parent is highly envolved with their child(ren)'s education which truly makes a difference as well as the low student:teach ratio that allows for such a great learning environment! We are very sad to be leaving!

Posted: February 22, 2013

My daughter started here in 2nd grade. She is in 4th grade now. She has really flourished here. There are so many enrichment and service opportunities. She is getting so much more than a public school and she loves the small classes.