St Gregory The Great School

Posted: September 26, 2024

My relative was not treated right and cried daily over teachers and staff. He/she felt their voice wasn't heard and teachers held long grudges. They would get glared at constantly by staff. They expect high expectations and when you don't meet the requirements you are judged. There is very clear favoritism. Please save your money

Posted: September 26, 2024

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Posted: March 22, 2022

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Posted: March 22, 2022

Posted: March 22, 2022

I do not reccomend this school unless you plan to be on the basketball board or work there. It has been the worst middle school experience because of teachers and the basketball program. They are spiteful, selfish and rude. There are no other extra curricular although they claim to have them, they really do not. If part of the reason for sending your child to a private setting for the extra curricular do not. You will be most displeased. We have tried to get lacrosse, baseball, and soccer, but the Athletic Director just says, that there is no interest without even advertising in the weekly newsletter that is emailed because he really doesn't want to deal with it. The basketball program was most disheartening the way my child was treated. I honestly would not want anyone to go through what my son has experienced at this school. The most spiteful people I have ever known on the earth.

Posted: March 22, 2022

Posted: March 22, 2022

Posted: November 4, 2021

There's been improvement with recent leadership change, though it still comes off as an elite members-only country club. Essentially, you either fit in, or you don't and faculty/staff are too close to the school to see this (or maybe that's how they want it?). Conscious and unconscious racial bias exists and displays itself throughout (parents, students, staff). A couple of years back, a 4th-grade student did an "I admire you" write-up about an individual who the SPLC identifies as a White Nationalist... they hung the expose up in the hallway with other student's classwork - (totally not joking). Multiple staff had to know who this person was. He was a popular alt-right social media personality at the time and many here are culturally and politically right-leaning. How open staff/parents/students are to self-examination and correction individually and institutionally remains to be seen. Where the school excels is through rigorous academics. St. Gregory the Great Catholic School has high educational expectations of students; if the kids are willing to do the work (and some grades are intense), they'll benefit and receive a quality education. The teachers have a strict and aggressive communication style, but it's needed due to the entitled attitudes of the children. Also, they are very hard-working teachers. If your children attend this school, they'll receive solid, old-fashioned schooling. Whether you or they fit in may be a different story. It's not the most inclusive environment, which may make for a stressful and lonely time for your child.

Posted: November 4, 2021

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Posted: June 11, 2021

I was not happy with this school. My son felt bullied on a constant basis and nothing was ever done about it. The teacher never communicated with us and I truly felt that my son would have performed better academically if he was back in public school. We will not be returning and I would not recommend this school to anyone.

Posted: June 11, 2021

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Posted: May 13, 2021

Great in Academics. 5 stars for Elementary School. I rate a 3 for Middle because of lack of extra curricular activities for All students unless you are part of the clique. Teachers are great, but seems there are particular behind the scene staff who are given more power than their Educational Expertise.

Posted: May 13, 2021

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Posted: February 18, 2020

Felt homework amount was reasonable; at least homework is given to follow up with lessons in class.

Posted: February 18, 2020

Had one of the worst educational experiences for our children here. Many of the teachers need more training and screening before put in a classroom with children. If you want your child to learn like it's still 1950, then this is the school for you.

Posted: February 18, 2020

It's kind of hard to develop strong character for the students when some of the staff does not even display character.

Posted: February 18, 2020

Felt the administration did a terrible job following-through with all of the promises made with our experience. There is no continuity with the teaching and honestly, it seems that teachers are hired out of desperation to fill classrooms of teachers who up and leave out of nowhere.

Posted: February 18, 2020

If your child has ANY special needs (including being gifted), look elsewhere. This school caters to the student who sits perfectly in class and completes work like a robot. Again, the teachers lack training and modern teaching skills.

Posted: February 18, 2020

Never experienced it from students, but there are about five families dealing with several teachers who act like bullies in the classroom to students.

Posted: February 18, 2020

Honestly, the biggest waste of money in general, no or less on an educational experience. Do yourself a favor and look elsewhere. You'll get "yes"ed to death upon a tour, told the greatest things about the place (which is not reality), and once the school has your money, that's all that's really cared about.

Posted: November 11, 2019

I don't know enough about his subject to effectively comment, sorry.

Posted: November 11, 2019

From what I've seen, bullying is handled swiftly and effectively. There will always be one or two kids who will push the envelope, but I think it's safe to say that most kids feel pretty safe and free to be themselves at St. Gregory's.

Posted: November 11, 2019

While the elementary school at St. Gregory's is still a little heavy on the homework, the middle school is, hands down, the best in town. Kids are given breathing room to grow socially, academically and spiritually. The faculty effectively prevents toxic cliques from forming among the students by continually mixing the students around in social situations, and also by ensuring that no two students have exactly the same schedule. Leadership opportunities abound for the kids, and often take the form of community service. The faculty is always available to meet or answer questions from students and / or parents, and seems happy to do so. Homework for the middle school is manageable, though the classes remain extremely challenging. The kids work hard, but are provided with the tools to succeed, and their accomplishments are celebrated appropriately. Because of these things, my kids' self-confidence has soared. In short, our family loves this school.

Posted: November 11, 2019

The elementary school kids have too much homework. I think the teachers are probably just excited about teaching their subjects and forget how tired the younger kids are by the end of the school day. Two or three hours of homework after a long school day is tough! Once they get to middle school, though, the homework is remarkably manageable.

Posted: November 11, 2019

The best ever. The math teachers have made my daughter, who has always struggled with mat, into a math rockstar. She loves the subject now.

Posted: November 11, 2019

The "St. Gregory Award" is given each quarter at the same time the academic awards are handed out. This award recognizes two students from each homeroom who have modeled specific virtues of gospel living, such as compassion, kindness, charity, etc. Receiving such an award is a very big deal for the kids. This is just one of the many ways that St. Gregory's emphasizes the importance of character and integrity.

Posted: November 11, 2019

The principal and vice principal would do anything for the students. Period.

Posted: May 8, 2018

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Posted: May 8, 2018

Great so far only been there for two years

Posted: January 26, 2018

When in public school, my kid picked up horrible talking back habits. Since coming to SGGS we're back to "yes ma'am" and "no ma"am" is back! :)

Posted: January 26, 2018

No experience with the principal or assistant principal.

Posted: January 26, 2018

We came in with a 504 plan and they quietly implemented it with no problems.

Posted: January 26, 2018

No experiences with bullying at SGGS. My baby said that she can't imagine it happening there.

Posted: January 26, 2018

Coming from a VBCPS school (where no homework was ever given to students) it was a great way for my kid to show me what she was doing in class.

Posted: January 26, 2018

So far so good- my kid has learned more in the last 5 months at SGGS than she did her entire 3 years at a public school.

Posted: January 26, 2018

Definitely not the shiniest or flashiest school but their back to foundations approach is so solid that I finally feel like my kid is getting the education needed to compete in this world. We came from a VBCPS elementary and after trying to make public school work for over 3 years we finally threw in the towel. SGGS accepted us in with open arms and couldn't have been more positive. We are so much happier that my kid doesn't even mind the homework. Kid always says it was the best move EVER. :)

Posted: January 30, 2017

Fortunately, my child is not often bullied. That said, when my child was in Kindergarten here, there were times when it was clear that other children were behaving poorly towards other students and very little seemed to be done about it other than marking the offending child's behavioral color chart down a notch or two (which doesn't fix or manage the problem)... it just calls attention to it.

Posted: January 30, 2017

My child is currently not a special needs student. As a result, I cannot effectively speak to this statement.

Posted: January 30, 2017

I have seen improvements prior to the previous year/principle, but the jury is still out (for me) as to how effective the leadership ultimately becomes.

Posted: January 30, 2017

This is a religious school and therefore there are certain behavioral requirements that they have for their students.

Posted: January 30, 2017

While I believe the teachers have all their credentials, for me the jury is still out as to how effective they actually are compared to teachers in public schools. They are effectively engaging in what I call "Regurgitation Education" where they simply shove loads of information down the students' throats without effectively teaching them.

Posted: January 30, 2017

The school literally loads their students with homework. I believe it should be cut by at least 1/4th (especially in the younger grades). I feel that they are overwhelming their students and placing a heavy burden on parents. The school has well intentioned, high expectations of its parents, but they should realize that many parents here are not stay at home moms. I pay full tuition here and must work to do so.

Posted: January 30, 2017

This is a difficult one for me because I had high hopes when placing my child here. My child has attended pre-k, Kindergarten and is now in 1st grade. My opinion is that the school has potential, but there are several issues that make me realize that I need to most likely place my child elsewhere in either 2nd or 3rd grade.

First, the Pros:
I like and appreciate the new principal of the school. I believe she cares about the school and it's students. Since she started, I've noticed an improvement in organization. She appears approachable and willing to listen. Because she is the new principle I believe she is still getting her sea legs and trying hard to manage what seems to be chaotic (to me). Hopefully, she will be able to make the changes the school needs.

The Cons:
1. The 1st grade classes are large. Too large for the students to obtain proper instruction. There are either 3 or 4 first grade classes (off the top of my head, I do not remember how many) and each class has 27 kids or more. Young children are not being taught at this age in such large classes. They are being herded like cattle and force fed information which is not teaching. The school seemed to be caught by surprise by the number of 1st grade students enrolling which seems odd due to the previous Kindergarten class sizes. While expanding the building may not have been feasible, adding trailers to their property and hiring another 1st grade teacher or two would have gone a long way in reducing class size. Because nothing has been stated in news letters about the upcoming 2nd grade school year, I worry that my child will be in a similar situation... essentially having a class that is too large in order for him/her to get proper instruction.

2. Lack of solid, well placed school information. The school communicates with parents better than it did during the 2015/2016 school year, but it is still not good. There is too much information scattered and disseminated from a variety of sources which makes school life confusing. Busy parents need simple, straightforward info in one place.

3. Teacher/staff approachability is lacking. I've personally found my child's first grade teacher authoritative and unapproachable. Much of the office staff is the same. There is little professionalism and it shows in both how they communicate.

There is much tweeking that needs to be done.

Posted: December 6, 2016

While my child's classroom experience has been ok, the facilities are very poorly run, and the aftercare program is simply bad. This year, my child is in a room that faces the exterior parking lot, rather than in the school proper. His teacher is nice and kind, but the classroom is dowdy, dark and drafty. During aftercare, there is little attention to the children and they are all dumped into the school cafeteria. My child comes home at least once a week, having been struck by another child likely due to lack of supervision and structured activities. On Friday nights, the cafeteria is converted into a Bingo hall (???) for the public. Players are allowed into the hall over an hour before aftercare ends--none of these people have security clearance to be there. The administration is less than responsive, and care more about running raffles and fundraising, rather than ensuring student safety. They clearly don't care about student retention either.

Posted: December 6, 2016

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Posted: December 7, 2015

I went to this school for 4 1/2 years (3rd-mid year 7th). If you do not fit their exact mold of an ideal student, you will not fit in. You will be bullied by both other students and teachers. Teachers and staff members are extremely rude and catty and will hold grudges. The curriculum is no different from public school, with the exception of religion class and heavily censored science classes. If you are a devout Catholic conservative family, then by all means, send your child here. If your child differs even slightly from that, spare them.

Posted: June 5, 2013

We have been at this school since 2004. The staff members are really nice, and the standards of the school blew our minds. We have two boys in the school, one in 6th grade, and one in 1st grade.

Posted: September 30, 2012

We have found a wonderful home at SGGS. Our daughter transferred to SGGS from a local public school three years ago. The teachers, parents , principal and staff have welcomed us in with open arms. The students made her feel comfortable the very first day. The academics are above and beyond what she received in public school. SGGS has given her the opportunity to thrive academically while keeping her grounded morally. We are blessed to be part this amazing school.

Posted: September 30, 2012

SGGS is a wonderful Catholic school! Combining faith, academics, and service, the educators are modeling wonderful Catholic values while teaching our children important academic topics. They treat the students like they are their own children. The school is full of love with constant reminders of Jesus and what is really important in life. We have been there for 5 years. We highly recommend this GREAT school!