Immaculate Conception School

314 OLD ALLERTON RD

Annandale, NJ 08801

29 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on January 24, 2023

Our preschool experiences (2& 3 years old programs) at ICS have been wonderful. My daughter loves going to school and seeing all of her friends and teachers! She has grown so much in confidence both academically and socially. The teachers are very energetic, nurturing passionate, and know each child's strengths and weaknesses. As a parent I am heartened to know that my child is in amazing hands.
Submitted by parent on January 23, 2023

Our on began at Immaculate Conception in the 5th grade and we wish we had enrolled him sooner. Our son was almost a full year younger than his classmates in public school, and with the advice and consent of the principal, we left him back a year. I am very happy we did so as the academics at ICS are year ahead of public school. What our son learned in pubic school was taught in the 4th grade at ICS.Our son was bullied in public school and arrived a very broken boy. ICS is extremely inclusive, and within the space of a month, was riding high with his new classmates. Our son told us that during lunch at his old school, the students would close ranks and not allow him to sit with them. He was constantly told "seat taken". At ICS, he told us that students kept OPENING spaces for him to sit and kept beckoning him to come and sit at their tables.The ICS facilities are clean and safe. The teachers are extremely caring, and they challenge our son to succeed daily. We value all that ICS has offered us.
Submitted by parent on January 21, 2023

Immaculate Conception School in Annandale truly fulfills my greatest visions and hopes for my child’s elementary school experience. My child is thriving there because the school's strong curriculum and emphasis on school community events and emotional well-being, addresses and fulfills children’s academic, social and spiritual needs. The school is located on a beautiful campus with very warm and positive staff members, who are demonstratively motivated by their love of God and teaching.
Submitted by parent on January 04, 2023

We are very happy with ICS. As a new family we have been welcomed into the community and our kids are off to a great start. The principal and teachers create a safe and welcoming environment and foster confidence and independence in the children. I appreciate the communication to keep parents informed.
Submitted by parent on July 16, 2020

ICS is an amazing school - the community, the staff, the students all work together. They handled the COVID crisis professionally, were well prepared and adapted as the feedback from teachers, student and parents warranted. I am so happy my kids were part of this community during this time - it really made a difference on how my kids responded and death with the crisis.
Submitted by parent on May 22, 2019

Absolutely love the welcoming community of faculty, students, and parents. The teachers go above and beyond to provide a wonderful and memorable education! Overall a fantastic school!
Submitted by parent on January 30, 2019

We have had a wonderful experience at ICS over the last 7 years. There were some leadership issues, but the school is moving in the right direction now. They have asked for parent input and are working on ways to make the school more competitive with the public schools.
Submitted by parent on November 15, 2018

It's getting hard to hold on to ICS right now. The public schools in our area offer a fantastic education, for free. Between declining enrollment (not a natural decline as they like to pretend...this is a sharp decline because of poor leadership and failure to retain great families), lack of stability, ignoring bullying, academic issues, safety issues and loss of excellent teachers...we would have to rate ICS quite low right now. Our hope is that they correct these issues quickly, before they lose more families. It would be nice if someone listened to what parents and students had to say, instead of putting on blinders and pretending that nothing is wrong. Just as recently as a few weeks ago, after they fired the principal, they had a meeting where they blamed parent negativity for issues at the school. The problem isn't the parents, it's the leadership, principal, diocese and pastor. However, they fail to acknowledge that and want tuition-paying parents to be silent and smile. They still fail to acknowledge what needs to change at the school.
Submitted by parent on November 15, 2018

I pray that ICS will be able to rebuild to it former days of excellence. It is wonderful school, with loving families, children and teachers. The Diocesean leadership , Pastor, and Administrative leaders should all be ashamed of their decision to hire the former principal and let him cause such damage to the school and the ICS community. To those who think there are parents who were disrespectful to the principal or didn't give him a chance, you obviously never dealt with him on any one on one level, as if he was questioned on anything he was confrontational and nasty to parents. Unprofessional isn't a strong enough word. We all pray that ICS can rebuild to the wonderful school it should be.
Submitted by parent on November 02, 2018

Thank you ICS teachers and staff members for caring about the students you work with. We appreciate you.
Submitted by parent on September 20, 2018

A few years ago I would have recommended ICS without reservation, it was a lovely, wonderful school that always felt like a home away from home . I can longer recommend ICS , and have serious concerns about the new principal, administrators, and state of the school. An incredibly number of talented, wonderful faculty and families have left. The diocese needs to take a realistic look at what is going on at ICS in order to save our formerly wonderful little school before its too late.
Submitted by parent on September 14, 2018

This is not the ICS of years ago. The new principal has created an unwelcoming and strained environment. So many teachers and families have left, it’s just not the same anymore.
Submitted by parent on June 03, 2018

We have had a very positive experience and believe the true testament is how much our children love the school and love TO GO to school!
Submitted by parent on May 30, 2018

Our experience was excellent. My children would agree. Excellent learning environment and faith based community that we will miss.
Submitted by parent on May 24, 2018

We had many happy years at ICS and our kids have always loved their school. It is becoming crystal clear that the ICS we loved is gone. It is unlikely that we will return next year, and we can not recommend ICS to new families at this time. It really is a shame because this school should be a stand-out as the only Catholic school in Hunterdon County. Word-of-mouth is strong and as more parents get frustrated and leave (or get frustrated and stay), it becomes clear that ICS is sinking rapidly. Parents have other options. The school pretends that low enrollment is due to low birth rates in the area. It's not, it's just that ICS no longer offers what it once did and people know the principal is an issue. Parents are fleeing the school and new parents are not registering because of word of mouth. Their declining admission rates do not match up to the declining enrollment rates in the area. They are losing more families than they should be and they fail to realize that they have a retention issue, regardless of new enrollment. There's a reason. Parents that speak up about valid issues and concerns are viewed as complainers and need to be silenced. They are even told as such. Sound appealing? It's not. They live in denial that anything is wrong and blame everyone else for what is happening at the school. Should things change for the better at the school, I'll happily update my review. Until then, I hope this review can help parents that are trying to make good choices for their children.
Submitted by parent on May 20, 2018

Great, nuturing atmosphere for learning & spiritual growth!
Submitted by parent on May 20, 2018

We wouldn’t change a thing. Our children have been happy as well as morally and academically well prepared for life. We have an excellent public school option that we could choose but don’t. ICS is worth the financial investment.
Submitted by parent on May 20, 2018

Our experience has far exceeded our expectations, even through the transition of three principals and four pastors over a ten year period. ICS strives to maintain its reputation of academic excellence and spiritual growth. It was the right choice for our family.
Submitted by parent on May 20, 2018

I had two children graduate happy and successful from ICS. They were both well prepared for high school and beyond. ICS is a Catholic school that integrates faith in the daily life of the student. Our public schools are great but I wanted something more for my children. It was well worth the sacrifice for tuition.
Submitted by parent on May 20, 2018

The best match for my children and what we were looking for to not only meet our educational expectations but our spiritual ones as well