Bethlehem Catholic High School

2133 Madison Avenue

Bethlehem, PA 18017

14 Reviews

School District
Grade

9-12
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on May 24, 2024

Do not recommend. High student to teacher ratio. Poor academics.
Submitted by parent on January 25, 2024

Zero stars. Waste of money. Administration and guidance are a joke. Teachers don’t communicate with parents and will actively dodge all attempts at helping your student - claim to offer extra help but only announce it last minute on the day of, no set extra-help schedule, dodge parent requests for teacher conferences / meetings, ignore your emails, don’t actually teach in class or when they are supposed to be providing extra help, they’re playing on their phones, etc. once your child turns 18 as a Senior the teachers / administration actively laugh in your face and tell you they can’t do anything if you ask for support because the student is 18, but then you still get all the nastygram emails if your kid is having problems. Excuse me? So I have to pay the $$ bills but get zero support for myself or the student. Thanks. Should have saved my money and sent my kid to public school for free and had more support and resources.
Submitted by parent on December 28, 2021

I would leave a zero if I could. School only cares about the recruited athletes that attend the school for free. Office staff is incredibly rude. Save your money!
Submitted by parent on October 02, 2020

My daughter loves this school and all the kids who go there. We have had very positive experiences overall.
Submitted by other on September 11, 2020

Terrible. God-awful. Disheartening. A perversion to the idea of human decency. Everyone's downright mean, the grading system is a joke and if you're a minority, you will get treated like garbage. No doubt. This school either needs to be reformed or torn down. Either one would be an act of true justice.
Submitted by parent on August 31, 2018

With three children having graduated, a forth starting freshman year and a financial strain, I would not send them anywhere else. They were extremely well prepare academically, emotionally and spiritually to go off to college.
Submitted by parent on February 06, 2018

The administration treats the students and parents with lack of respect. It is sometimes forgotten that we are the ones who pay them
Submitted by parent on July 31, 2015

This school has lost its way. The values of respect, integrity, self-discipline and character building no longer matter- yes we promote “Pride. Passion. Purpose” but that is lip service. The standards have plummeted in the areas of academics and behavior to accommodate the “new market of students.” Attending Mass in the past was a religious experience, now it is a period of chatter with absolute disrespect. Unfortunately, the men that serve in the leadership positions at Bethlehem Catholic do not wish to listen. The rude treatment to parents that actively attempted to be part of solutions and give not only their treasure but time and talents have become most apparent. Yet, the known parking lot complainers who have their hand out for are embraced, especially if their child participates in a sport of choice. In the past, an authentic Catholic family would proudly claim they are/were Golden Hawks, now one is almost embarrassed to admit it…
Submitted by student on March 19, 2015

This school is completly outrageous. The grading system is horrible and causes many students to transfer to other schools and the administrators wonder why half of the current junior class has left. They are so bewildered about the sudden drop in attendance that they have gone around and asked students why other students are leaving. For example, an 84% is a B, a 74% is a D, and a 64% and below is an F. This ridiculous grading system is the underlying reason why most students leave the school, or it's the crazy teachers. The school itself is in poor condition. The gym is leaking resulting in baby pools and buckets lying around collecting the water. Only at BECA can an indoor basketball game get "rained out."There is NO air conditioning leaving students hot and uncomfortable during the hot spring months. How are students expected to maintain such high standards in such uncomfortable conditions. The wifi password is not given to students unless you register your iPad with the school. Most of the teachers complain about their wage to the students, making the teachers unmotivated and not willing to help unless they are being paid. Overall, I woud not recommend sending a child here.
Submitted by other on March 08, 2015

Coming to Becahi was a regret. Most teachers are unbearable and are so unwilling to work with you. Unless you are a hot shot athlete no one in the school gives you a second thought. You pay 8k a year to go here and you would never know it. The school is falling apart. Water buckets throughout the school collecting water from holes in the roof is not incommon. Technology is sub par and the school does not even give out any of the wifi passwords to kids, unless you register your iPad with them, allowing them to track you and your activity throughout the school. The food is disgusting, countless times I've returned food because of hair in it. So many of the cafe tables have holes in them. The education received is not worth $8,000. Which doesn't include everything else you need to buy, some books for classes, uniform, etc. I would've much rather gone to a public school, my parents see what Beca actually is and have decided to not send any of my siblings there.
Submitted by parent on November 03, 2014

Bethlehem Catholic High School What a waste of money, teachers are not great, if your child is not in sports you get no attention. My child was not happy and transferred to Liberty for senior year and loves it. Wish I would have done that for the other 3 years.
Submitted by other on October 28, 2014

At Bethlehem Catholic you pay 8000$ a year (for tuition not counting the uniforms and other ridiculous hidden charges ) for the illusion of a superior education. Sadly the majority of teachers are in no where qualified to teach a high school class. The teachers salaries are near minimum wage so are the faculty is unmotivated and uneducated. The school itself is also run down and only getting worse. Having a catholic school on your application doesn't even help you get into a better college. The majority of my graduating class went to pretty sub-par colleges, and public school kids with identical grades got into the same college as me only difference was they didn't waste 30k over 4 years. The education is as poor an any of the surrounding schools if you want your kid to learn make them take the honors courses in a public school and they will be better off and you will save 30k. I can't stress enough how big of a waste of money this school is please send your kids some where else.
Submitted by parent on December 01, 2012

Honestly, after sending my daughter here for four years, the $30,000+ that I have spent on tuition was an absolute waste. Teachers are not required to have a degree in the subject they teach, just a general teaching degree. Unless you play sports, which virtually everyone does, you are treated horribly. The guidance counselors here do not prepare you for college and they do nothing involved with discipline; that is another person's responsibility. When my daughter was applying to colleges, I had to pay $3 per college just to send the transcripts, which took over 30 days for them to send. My younger son will definitely be attending Liberty High School when he reaches the age.
Submitted by student on October 16, 2012

The education quality here is very high and provides students with a well-rounded education. They offer challenging and competitive courses. The teachers for the most part are very good and are more than happy to help any student who asks for it, however they do will not "hold a student's hand" through the class, as they emphasize independence and personal responsibility. The students and faculty are generally friendly and helpful. One does not have to join sports to be happy or accepted here, as I personally have never been involved in any sports and have enjoyed my experience. There are many other clubs that students can get involved in, and students are encouraged to begin their own clubs as well. However, I will say that getting involved is one of the best ways to succeed and make friends in this school. The school prepares all students well for SATs, and the guidance counselors do their best to help students with the college selection and application process. Some people may find their rules, specifically regarding dress code, to be strict, but that comes with the territory of a Catholic school.