-
January 2024 by Ms M.
If I can protect my kids and delay some of the things school children are exposed to nowadays, I will try. This school still teaches values and faith. It's a great community of families, solid academics, wonderful faculty and caring administrators. We couldn't ask for more. The campus could definitely use some repaint and refreshing, but for the tuition costs vs the level of academics, it's a great deal. The academic grading scale in junior high is a bit high and academics are rigorous and some do struggle, but it's great preparation for high school. They also incorporate various opportunities for students to volunteer for both the school and community and provide activities to encourage leadership and mentoring skills. I would say "don't judge a book by it's cover". It's worth checking out.
-
November 2023 by Ann M.
St Catherine Laboure School offers excellent academic training. The community is very welcoming and is like a second family. The faculty and staff are competent and extremely helpful.
-
November 2023 by Joe J.
We have 2 kids since preschool. It's been 9 years at SCL, and our kids love this school, and as parents, we're so proud and happy of their academic level they've reached.
-
September 2023 by Andie P.
Children here learn life skills that will propel them into the future by being caring and thoughtful for their community wherever they go, just as Christ set the example for Catherine Labouré, other Saints and for ourselves.
-
February 2023 by Morgan B.
My son started TK in the beginning of the year, I was very hesitant because this school is not cheap, and it can be hard to afford some months. I am happy to report that this school is worth it!!!!! mainly because of the AMAZING teachers. Particularly his TK teacher Vivian Vu. She has gone above and beyond in every aspect for my son. I could not recommend her more. It seems like ALL the teachers care so much about the education and growth of each student. If you are looking for teachers that care, this is the School to send your child to.
-
November 2020 by James T.
Covid has made school a surreal experience for kids across the world, but I tip my hat to our wonderful teachers and staff who are making this bizarre situation work. I have friends at other schools who said they get the feeling the school has given up and really isn't even trying, but for me it's only increased my admiration and respect for our teachers. They're giving it 110% and I'm sure they're just as sad not being there in person, not to mention it's clearly a heavier workload for them.
-
February 2020 by Maria J.
We like the school. There are some teachers who are more enthusiastic than others, but they are all well educated and have been teaching for years. I think it is important that children have both tough and easier teachers to teach them to work with all kinds of people. I am especially impressed with the junior high teachers and how well they prepare the students for high school. If parents learn to trust the teachers, support their strict academic standards and support their children in what they do, it can be a great experience.
-
April 2019 by Jeff B.
So far so good. My kid likes it here. Parents are involved. Kids have to work academically here. Communication with parents is good in my opinion. It's not perfect. However, I think this school is a good place to send your kids.
-
April 2018 by Norma S.
This review has been a long time coming so here it goes. My son attended this school from 1st to 4th grade. The biggest mistake I made was letting him continue after his first year. His first grade teacher was and Mufich/Mrs Bauer(sp?). This teacher continually graded his work like he was a baby genius and couldn't make any mistakes. They used to get this weekend report and she would deduct points for every single mistake bringing his scores way down. Every chance she got she would bring up how he had gone to Montessori school. So what?! She seemed to have some kind of problem that he had gone to that type of school the way she talked about it. My son HATED going to school that year even though he had always loved school before that. I once volunteered in her class and she seriously nit picked at every single thing the kids did. "stop twiddling your fingers" "stop rolling your cup" "stop playing with your food" like seriously they're 6 year old kids!! His second year was much better. He had a teacher who obviously cared about the kids and loved her job! My son went back to loving school again and ALL his grades magically improved. Unfortunately , this teacher retired and is no longer there. She expressed surprised at his low marks from the year before as she felt he was intelligent and consistently did above average in his STAR tests. In 3rd grade it got worse. His teacher, Mrs Skinner obviously does not care about her job. Every time my son told on someone he would get ignored, but whenever he was told on he would automatically get sent to the office. This continued through out the year as my sons behavior at school just got worse and worse. He told me he didn't care what happened because no one ever listened to him there and he was the only one always getting into trouble. You don't know how many times this school called and called to let me know my son was doing bad but never did anything to help his behavior other than get him in MORE trouble and the cycle would continue. BUT LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT THE TIME THE SCHOOL DID NOT CALL ME. In the 1st grade , my son was physically assaulted for standing up to a bully who was bullying a group of kids. My son got punched in the face over and over and was also kicked repeatedly. Did the school call me then? NO THEY DID NOT. they tried to cover their butts and lied about calling me and his dad and his grandparents but we ALL compared phones and not one of us received a call. Overall, this school has put me off of every putting my son in the Catholic school system ever again. He goes to public school now. Within the first couple of weeks my son had an incident where a kid was calling him names and it was IMMEDIATELY DEALT WITH. Since my son was so upset the school set him up with a COUNSELOR to address this problem. It went so well my son now sees a counselor once a week and is doing exceptionally well in school. St Catherine repeatedly told me my son should try counseling but instead pushed him to the side because he didn't conform to their standards. If your child has any sort of special needs where they might need extra attention or encouragement this school is not the one for you. The teachers are really hit and miss and I just wouldn't spend my money here.
-
March 2018 by Gustavo Fernandez
Good place
-
March 2018 by LL PR
Office staff is cold and rude vice principal is mean the kids don't like her. They care more about dress code then a good education! They need to make a lot of updates and improvements especially in Spanish, computer lab, physical education and after school daycare program. The teachers have become boring and use the same text books and curriculum from 9 years ago.
-
March 2018 by Steve Smith
It's a great school and I like when they have the fiesta
-
October 2017 by Yanell T.
So glad we left this school! During our time there my son was bullied by other kids intensely and the teachers were first clueless than when I brought it to their attention they worried more about defending themselves that understanding our son. The principal's words were "In our defense" in a discussion which made me realize they didn't care about my kid but about how they were viewed... Their teacher St. Aubin was NOT renewed from St. Sebastian in WLA ( I later learned) for a reason, she is self absorbed. They said my son was getting distracted in class because the material was "hard" for him yet he got A's on the tests and started to make false accusations about his past records as if I didn't know- total B.S.... We are now at Wiseburn and my son was immediately placed in the GATE program, the teacher said she knew he was ahead for his age the first day she met him and made sure he got tested for GATE because he clearly tests well. He has transitioned in well and I'm SOOO glad we left SCL. Now looking back, I also realized that the teachers bullied kids as well since they didn't focus on developing children but disciplining. The school turns through families for a reason. SO GLAD we left!!!! My son always tested high in the 90% percentile even at SCL and would get bored in class and the 2nd grade teacher had the audacity to say he must have gotten lucky in choosing the right answers RANDOMLY... I mean... WOW! I can't say how RELIEVED I am to be done with the school and staff. They tried making me feel like my kid was the problem instead of owning their flaws. So sad. Hopefully they aren't doing the same to other families who are tricked into staying thinking it's the kid not the school... IT'S THE SCHOOL!!!!
-
March 2017 by Ana Garcia
Very good treatment, Cristy, very friendly, gave me all the required information and finding parking is very easy..I like it
-
March 2017 by Elfego Casasola
My daughter has been at Saint Catherine since kindergarten and is now in the fifth grade. As parents of Catholic faith, we decided to enroll her here because of the experience we had at a public preschool in Lawndale. She was teased for not having brand-name shoes (we dislike wearing clothing or shoes with logos) and she was bullied constantly. We have met many families here at Saint Catherine and have become great friends with them. In an era when most of us don't know our own neighbors, it's comforting to have a group of families who would take care of your child like their own. After school Daycare has been a lifesaver for me many times. Both of us own a business and sometimes we're late to pick up my daughter but we don't need to rush or worry because we know she's safe.The mandatory volunteering should be seen as an opportunity. There are parents who use their talents as a form of volunteering. I get involved and volunteer at school because I want my daughter and her friends to do well. As a bonus, my own life is enriched.
