St. Joseph Catholic School

11610 Atwood Road

Auburn, CA 95603

33 Reviews

School District
Grade

K-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on September 26, 2024

I have two children at SJCS, and although no school is perfect, we are very thankful that our kids are attending here. While our local public schools are dealing with multiple issues, we are grateful to have a school where my kids are safe, happy, and thriving. I’ve been told from outside tutors that the SJCS curriculum is top notch and that a lot of students graduate almost a grade above their public school peers. I feel that the staff really does care about every student. Parents who want to be involved will find an open community and plenty of opportunities.
Submitted by parent on January 17, 2020

This school has been a perfect fit for my two grandchildren (6 and 8). I needed an environment that provided nurturing and security when the girls came to live with me. This school has met all of our needs.
Submitted by parent on January 16, 2020

I would give St Josephs school and staff a 10/10 for sure!
Submitted by parent on January 09, 2020

An excellent academic environment fortified with strong faith based values of love and respect for all.
Submitted by parent on August 25, 2019

Highly recommend this school to anyone looking for a faith based education for there children with an emphasis on smaller class sizes. Parents and students will find an amazing community environment where life long friendships will be made. The faculty, and staff are all very professional and great to work with on a daily basis. The facilities are well manicured, very secure, and have all the amenities you could ask for your child.
Submitted by parent on April 16, 2019

My kids love this school! I have two students at St. Joseph Catholic School. The teachers foster warm, friendly, positive interactions with students that promote thriving academic and spiritual learning environments. The classes are small, learning is individualized and in a safe environment. The principal is involved and truly cares about students and their character development. We are so thankful to be part of the SJCS community.
Submitted by parent on April 12, 2019

We are in our second year at St. Joseph's and find it to be an outstanding school with a dedicated and caring administration, faculty and staff and active and supportive parent community. The environment is inclusive and nurturing and the academics stimulating all while emphasizing character and values. My child is thriving here and receiving the attention and support she needs.
Submitted by parent on May 31, 2018

Children are expensive but childhood is priceless. In this day and age children are growing and experiencing mature situations far younger than ever before. I have three children at St. Joseph Catholic School and credit them (SJCS) to helping me raise my children to be intelligent, thoughtful, and kind humans. Above that, they have helped me to preserve their youth longer than their peers attending other local schools. I love SJCS’s approach to growing the whole person and developing a community among the children, staff, fellow parents, and community as a whole. I believe that their view on education is well rounded and see them constantly striving to make improvements to curriculum, the school, relationships, and communication. I cannot imagine my children growing up in any other environment. I have one child who will be graduating from SJCS after next year and my youngest enrolling the year after that. My general opinion on education is that you will encounter problems wherever you go but if you are willing to be vocal about your needs, work with the staff, and have faith throughout the process you will be pleased with the result. Nothing changes over night but if you choose to bring your children to St. Joseph you will find a safe, thriving, environment where your children’s childhood can be preserved. For us, that is invaluable.
Submitted by parent on May 18, 2018

This school has been a wonderful learning environment for my kids. I have been pleased about how the administration has gone above and beyond to accommodate the needs of my kids. The principal is fully invested in creating an outstanding academic and religious environment.
Submitted by other on March 22, 2017

St. Joseph Catholic School offers a values-based education in the context of a connected and caring community of students, parents, staff, faculty, and administration. The school has passed all accreditation standards, hires qualified and credentialed teachers, and is heralded for the low pupil/teacher ratio and its resultant heightened contact for each student in the classroom. The principal holds undergraduate and graduate degrees specializing in early childhood development, and works closely with faculty to develop general curriculum and, as appropriate, student-specific individual educational programs. The Auburn community is fortunate to have SJCS as a viable choice for parents interested in an active, growing, school for K-8 (and even an excellent Preschool for the little ones, allowing parents to return to work as soon as their toddlers are ready!)
Submitted by parent on March 22, 2017

I have 2 students at St. Joseph Catholic School. They have attended SJCS since preschool. St. Joseph Catholic School is a faith-filled learning community. The principal, teachers, and staff are welcoming, compassionate and caring. There is a high level of achievement and academic opportunities offered at SJCS. There is no other school that I would have my children attend!
Submitted by student on February 19, 2017

I urge all parents to do your homework on what I believe to be a poor standard of education at this school. The level of academics is sub-par. They do not have proper languages and the “Spanish” class is taught by a woman who does not know the Spanish language but does speak Portuguese. Many of the teachers are not accredited nor do they posses a degree.The staff at St. Josephs will tell all potential paying parents that the children come first. State Average test scores for the entire school are low.
Submitted by parent on February 05, 2015

I also have students in multiple grades and I am in love with this school! The teachers are caring and tough and the principal is making wonderful changes by hiring more challenging teachers who are on the cutting-edge of curriculum! I understand that this school is not for everyone if you don't your child to have age-appropriate homework that he/she will be accountable for...Also, a few parents have left because they were bullying a teacher and other parents and the administration did not stand for it! This is what I love about private schools! You can get rid of the problems! Also, enrollment has steadily increased in the past 2 years, so I'm not sure what a previous poster is speaking to! Check your facts! I know I do because I have kids in multiple grades and I am a teacher (at another school) myself- I have very high (sometimes unreasonable) standards.
Submitted by parent on November 12, 2014

This is our second year at SJCS and we have three kids at all different grade levels. The staff is wonderful with caring teachers, while the principal has clear and concise plans for the future direction of the school. Every time I mention that my kids go to this school, people within the community at large always mention how great it is. I understand that SJCS is not for everyone. So if you are new family thinking about going- academics are tough, expectations are high, it is a loving and nurturing school, however there is accountability and responsibility involved!
Submitted by parent on November 09, 2014

I m not one who usually writes reviews, unless it s positive. However, I recently came across Great! Schools while doing preliminary searches on alternate school placement for my children and feel it is important to share our experiences for new families considering SJCS. We initially came to SJCS as it offered a loving and supportive environment while providing an excellent faith based education. What once was appears to be no more. Our experiences over the past year now have us believing that the leadership at SJSC is more concerned with appearances than with substance. The environment now feels toxic. Bullying has become an issue and many parents seem disgruntled. It saddens me that I no longer feel SJCS is a good fit for our children, but we can no longer tolerate the questionable decisions being made by the principal. Our concerns have been voiced appropriately and ignored. I struggled with the idea of leaving, however, it almost feels like we are being pushed out. One has to look no farther than the precipitous decline in enrollment form last year to see that there is a problem at SJSC. There are still some excellent teachers at SJCS. Hopefully they can turn it around.
Submitted by parent on October 16, 2014

St. Joseph is an excellent school! I have had 4 students graduate--2 of them went to Catholic high school and 2 of them went to public high school. ALL of them got As and Bs in high school. The teachers there are excellent. The new principal is innovative and wants to see school succeed. However, it is a commitment of time and money--not like the public schools. It is also a small community that has pros and cons also. I am very happy my children were able to attend!
Submitted by parent on June 08, 2014

I thought things would get better with the new principal but they haven't. The people at this school are very cliquish and parents bully each other. The faculty seem to favor some families over others. Unfortunately this has caused a lot of pain for my poor little girl.
Submitted by parent on May 13, 2014

We did our own research, toured and decided that this was the best place and learning environment for our children. This was our first year and we consider SJCS a home away from home for our children and family. Tour the school and other schools around; ask your own questions before you decide what is right for your family. We choose SJCS for these reasons- strong education and community- and it has been GREAT!
Submitted by parent on April 02, 2014

With an excellent new principal and a wonderful new 8th grade teacher on board this year, this school gets better and better. Academics and extra curricular activities, our children build a great foundation for their high school experience.
Submitted by parent on March 21, 2014

I am astonished by recent reviews. The 5 star reviews must be written by administrators or parents who have known of no other school than SJCS. I know for a fact there are many families who have left SJCS due to weak curriculum, poor classroom behavior, a lack of attention to how cruel students are to one another, and a lack of strong upper grade teachers. Going to Mass once a week and having daily religion class does guarantee students will treat one another with respect and compassion. My children attended SJCS for a number of years. They say the school they are at now is a "10" and SJCS was a "3." When I asked why such a low rating for SJCS, they said compared to where they are now, SJCS was unorganized, the teachers weren't as good as the ones they have now, and the students were mean to one another. They often witnessed students being cruel to one another (shouldn't there by higher expectations at a parochial school?), the after-school daycare program was a joke (nothing structured, students using cell phones, on YouTube, jokes of a sexual nature being told on the playground, and nothing being taken seriously when concerns raised). Do your research. You can do better.