St. John Neumann Academy in Blacksburg

Posted: March 30, 2023

I cannot recommend this school enough to everyone I speak to. If you are considering leaving public school I encourage you to take the leap. While this is a catholic school it is not required that you are catholic. The have a religion class as part of the curriculum but otherwise offer everything typical of k-8th. My kids have thrived here with the small class sizes and caring teachers. We just love it and will never go back to public school.

Posted: June 24, 2022

My son attended SJNA for the last two years in their preschool program. He had Mrs. Rooney, who has since retired, and then this past year he had Mrs. Harmon. I cannot say enough amazing things about this school. I had every intention of keeping my kids home until they went to kindergarten, but when my son came to me at three years old and said he wanted to go to school to make friends, I knew I had to make it happen, even though it broke my MaMa heart! I had passed SJNA since it was being built in 2016 on my way to doctors appointments when I was pregnant with my son and was always intrigued, so I figured I would check it out some more. I was very anxious about putting him into school being as he had only ever been with myself or my husband and, very rarely, when visiting out of state, my mom. Tack on being in the middle of a Pandemic and we were not allowed to enter the school etcI was on the struggle bus! Mrs. Wharton, the director, was amazing at helping us with the transition. She took the time to have my son and I come to the school when it was empty so he could see the building and classroom he would be in and get to know her face so he would have some familiarity with everything when he started. She even made sure the first week or so of school at drop off she came and took him out of the car because she was a familiar face to him. These last two years have been amazing for my son and our family, he has grown so much as a person going to a school where you are treated like family. He loves everyone there and always looked forward to school and was upset when he couldnt go, even if it was because it was the weekend! The only reason he will not go to kindergarten there and our daughter wont be starting preschool is because we have relocated out of the area, otherwise we would have been there as long as possible! It is an amazing school. I could not have possibly asked for a better school to enroll my son in, in the middle of a Pandemic no less, then SJNA! Amazing staff, amazing community!!! We will miss it so much!

Posted: February 22, 2022

The teachers are amazing, and help meet students' needs! It has a great small class size, which is great for students with sensory processing issues, who are easily overwhelmed. I'm an upper school student, and highly recommend sending your child here!

Posted: February 22, 2022

Posted: May 24, 2019

My 2 sons received the best education I could have possibly provided them. They both love the school and we're sad that the school stopped at 8th grade. What a great start to their school experience. This school is awesome!

Posted: May 2, 2019

Under-prepared, with no pedagogical knowledge about strategies that should be employed with different students. When students are asking a question to a math problem they will get the answer but not why that is the correct answer. They will like everyone to not ask questions, so they don't have to find solutions (because they can't).

Posted: May 2, 2019

Real mediocre for a "private" institution. When is time for kids to be challenged, the school will fail; will not cultivate intellectual curiosity. They will just want you to be a "yes m'am" person. For 4th grade up, better keep the kids at home; you will make yourself a favor.

Posted: January 29, 2019

Mrs Wharton is the best! She sets such an amazing example for all of the students. She is kind and attentive. She devotes all of her time to this school and to our children! She is involved in every aspect and she just truly cares about everyone! She is a great leader and I am glad my daughter can look up to her!

Posted: January 29, 2019

I am saying neutral because I have not encountered this. I am sure they would do whatever they could to help any and every student.

Posted: January 29, 2019

I am very confident that if my daughter was having troubles then they would take the right steps to check into the situation.

Posted: January 29, 2019

On a scale of 1-10, we give it a 20! Sounds cliche, I know. But seriously, we love this place. I wanted my daughter to have small classes and caring people to look up to. I wanted her to be challenged when necessary. I wanted her to continue the manners that we use at home. I wanted her to feel safe. A family style environment is exactly what we were looking for and we found it here at SJNA! My daughter loves this school, her friends, and the teachers! The last place we took her, she would cry and scream everytime we had to drop her off. She would run to us and she was ready to go home. Not at SJNA!! She is jumping out of the car, giving hugs to the adults, and waving bye! When I pick her up, she is not ready to go and wants to stay longer! We have loved watching the transformation!

Posted: November 7, 2018

This is our daughters first year at SJNA and we have been very impressed with the staff and the school. SJNA provides a warm and attentive learning environment for our child. We love the focus on academic excellence, good behavior, and virtues. Small class sizes, first rate facilities, and dedicated teachers mean that our daughter is very happy at the school.

Posted: November 7, 2018

Posted: July 20, 2018

When told about the trouble I was having with some other students in my class, the teachers took no action at all and told me to be the bigger person. Along with that, this school doesnt provide guidance counselors, giving students no one to talk to.

Posted: July 20, 2018

The teaching method at SJNA is not where it needs to be in the middle school. Students are not pushed to their full potential due to the fact that there arent enough teachers OR students. SJNA was absolutely amazing for PreK-5th grade, but I would NOT recommend sending your child for middle school. The environment is too strongly focused on grades and religion class, while not providing health class, music, band, choir, or any other electives that help build knowledge and character. Please do yourself and your child a favor, financially, socially, and academically, and dont send them here for middle school.

Posted: July 20, 2018

In conclusion, this school is nowhere near equipped to be a middle school and you should not send your child to SJNA.

Posted: January 23, 2018

In earlier grades, homework is regular and familiar. Knowing what to expect helps our family establish an evening routine. Also, in early grades at least, no homework on the weekends.

Posted: January 23, 2018

We transferred from a local public school, and SJNA has been a far better experience for us. The school environment is calm and structured, the student body is kind and has a strong sense of community, and the academics are rigorous. My student is thriving here. After a few weeks at SJNA, we could even see a difference in behavior at home. The staff and faculty are responsive and helpful, and create a very loving learning environment. I could not be happier. I am constantly thankful for this school.

Posted: August 14, 2017

We have had wonderful experiences with multiple children attending. As a small private school, it can not and should not be expected to offer special classes and additional teachers for learning challenged students. These services require extensive costs and the public schools do offer these services (reading specialists, therapy services and learning support services) to children for free. In order to maintain a manageable cost of attending, the school can only offer traditional learning opportunities. This also can be challenge for academically advanced students. We chose for our children to attend SJNA for the support and caring environment. We have had experience with public schools and have had our children bullied, offered drugs in elementary school and physically abused by students. Hands down, I feel my children are in a safe environment and are learning to be confident individuals.

Posted: May 29, 2016

My granddaughter attended St. John Neumann Academy (SJNA) as a preschooler in the school year that just ended. She will move on to kindergarten there for the the 2016-2017 school year. SJNA combines the academic, spiritual, service and social aspects of education in a way that enables its students to grow and flourish. I highly recommend SJNA to all parents in the New River Valley area. John Barako

Posted: July 10, 2015

Posted: March 1, 2015

This school prepares its graduates for the challenges of AP courses in high school and as leaders of school and community clubs and organizations as well as role models.

Posted: July 29, 2014

We sent our child to SJNA after 2 semesters in the public middle school. We have 3 other children who went to public school, I was a public school teacher, and never pulled one of our kids from a public school setting. It was the best decision we made, academically and socially. SJNA fosters a learning environment with high academic expectations , but yet addresses individual academic needs-gladly. The teachers went above and beyond in the middle school to make sure concepts were learned and understood. There was a science project where the students built rockets and each one launched their rocket on a class field trip. Kindness to one another and no bullying was an observation our child noticed immediately being there. The assignments in English were rigorous , but if needed to be modified to meet an individual need, were. Middle school years can be very difficult, and I was concerned about the change for our child because we did so midyear. It was the best thing we did--when I picked my child up from public middle school the last day-- she never looked back. I wish I discovered it sooner.

Posted: July 27, 2014

St. John Nemann Academy has very dedicated and caring teachers and staff. My children have thrived academically, have really grown in confidence, and my oldest have transitioned easily and successfully to high school. Wonderful, wonderful school!

Posted: June 11, 2014

If I could give less than one star I would. My sons attended this school in prek and 3rd grade this past year (2013-2014. At first they seemed fantastic, but when I couldn't send them back because of personal reasons, they treated my children terribly. To give you an idea on what happened my preschool age son didn't even get a paper when he walked for graduation. I spent hours consoling him. I have spoken to Mrs. Wharton and his prek teacher. None of them have even apologized. My older son was graded on a much harsher scale after they found out we weren't coming back and he experienced bullying from both the students and the staff at times. I can't speculate as to what their thoughts were. My oldest son is dyslexic. They had made some learning plan modifications initially, and then just pushed him through the class by the end with no consideration at all. This experience was a nightmare for my family, but I'm glad I found out how they really were before I spent another year of tuition and gave them more time to influence my children. Do not make the mistake I did.

Posted: December 1, 2013

I would recommend the school through 2nd grade, but beyond that you are doing your children a disservice. We had several children attend SJNA, but we were shocked when they matriculated to public middle-school and were unprepared for the academic load and content. Our children are smart and received A's at this school, but they were woefully unprepared when they left. It is a safe learing environment, but it is way too heavy on religion & PE, and weak on science and mathematics. You are paying for grades at SJNA, not an education.

Posted: October 29, 2013

St. John Neumann Academy (SJNA) in Blacksburg, Virginia is a fantastic school that provides a quality education in a nurturing, wholesome, safe environ. Faculty and staff are professional, caring, creative and motivate students to learn, participate in class and strive to do their very best at all times. Communication is an absolute priority at SJNA. Weekly, the director sends an informative newsletter to parents. Additionally, each grade sends home a weekly newsletter to parents in the student's Friday Folder. The Friday folder contains all of the student's work and tests completed that week, forms to be filled out and returned and more. Weekly grade specific newsletters contain: list of upcoming tests and dates, material that will be introduced the following week, special events and dates, and so on. Curriculums are challenging, engaging, develop excellent writing skills, communication skills, creativity, critical thinking, self-confidence, and leadership skills. Latin, French, Music, Art, and PE are also included; Classes are small. Every day after school my children voluntarily share their school day with me. My children have attended since preschool and love SJNA.

Posted: October 21, 2013

St. John Neumann Academy is absolutely amazing! The small class size provided an excellent teacher-student interaction. I really felt like my teachers knew me and cared to learn about me, whereas when I went to public high school, I barely knew most of my teachers and they barely knew me. I am a junior in college now and I have been back to visit the teachers and students at SJNA many times since I graduated 8th grade there, and I have also worked in the after school care program as a way to give back to the school that gave so much to me. I have not been back to visit my high school once. Personally, I think this shows how much SJNA changed my life.

Posted: October 4, 2013

This school is awesome. I was nervous last year when I dropped my child off at pre-school for the first time. The director told me to relax that SJNA was like a big family. I was skeptical. Fast forward one year. Not only do I know the children and their parents and some of their grandparents in my child's class. I know several other families throughout the school. It is a big family and everyone is watching out for your kid and trying to help them reach their potential. The director greats each child and family personally each day and is at every school function. She is amazing. My child's teachers are also wonderful and give my child plenty of attention. SJNA is a little paradise in the academic world.

Posted: October 1, 2013

Both of my children attended St. John Neumann Academy. When they entered the public school system in 9th grade, they were great writers and researchers. Both of them participated in National History Day competing at Regionals all the way to the National competition. I love the family atmosphere and the rigorous academics. There is no bullying and all the teachers know every student by name. I give this school 5 stars and highly recommend it.

Posted: September 30, 2013

My school is amazing in every way. I am a parent and a staff member. My school prepares the children for many life experiences. It prepares them for high school academics, peer pressure, and it serves as a moral compass. The teaching staff is top-notch and they love the children and challenge the children at the same time. There is no better school! The environment is welcoming and no bullying is tolerated. The children are taught to love all and to be kind to all. Most people who come here, never want to leave!

Posted: September 30, 2013

SJNA teachers are excellent - they are supportive and passionate about their student's success. SJNA is a wonderful community of families, learners and teachers. Student academic outcomes are well above the state and local benchmarks. The school, students and teachers are winning more awards and are increasingly recognized for excellence in education. Our family loves SJNA - we could not be more pleased by our decision to enroll and support the school.

Posted: September 29, 2013

St. John Neumann Academy in Blacksburg, VA is an excellent school. The teachers, staff and parents are committed to providing an academic and faith-filled education and environment in the Catholic tradition. I love the fact the class sizes are small and intimate- this adds to the learning experience for the children. The teachers are so caring and compassionate- they have a true love for teaching and it is reflected in the caring attitudes and enthusiasm the students have for helping others and the community. All the children are surrounded by faith and the support of fellow students. They are learning to be wonderful stewards to society, to be compassionate people and to stand up for what they believe in. SJNA could improve and serve even more families in the area if they had a larger facility. They have already outgrown 2 previous locations and are almost at capacity in their current location. This has not stopped or even hindered the spirit of the school, but I think it could grow by leaps and bounds in a newer building. It would also allow the added benefit of a more diverse sports program- they are doing wonderfully with what they can currently offer! THANK YOU SJNA!

Posted: September 26, 2013

St. John Neumann is a school that allows the students to achieve their highest potential. It is an environment that is nurturing yet challenging while involving the children in community service projects throughout the school year. They are encouraged to be peacemakers and foster a hands on learning experience both academically and socially. The teachers work closely with the parents through regular communication on how the students are progressing. Finally, the children are eager to go to school; that speaks for itself.