St. John Neumann Academy

Reviews

• Submitted by parent on 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.
• Submitted by parent on 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 doctor’s 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 etc…I 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 couldn’t go, even if it was because it was the weekend! The only reason he will not go to kindergarten there and our daughter won’t 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!
• Submitted by student on February 23, 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!
• Submitted by parent on 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!
• Submitted by parent on May 02, 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.
• Submitted by parent on 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!
• Submitted by parent on November 07, 2018
  This is our daughter’s 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.
• Submitted by student on 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.
• Submitted by parent on 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.
• Submitted by parent on 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.
• Submitted by parent on 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
• Submitted by other on March 02, 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.
• Submitted by parent on July 30, 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.
• Submitted by parent on July 28, 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!
• Submitted by parent on June 12, 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.
• Submitted by parent on December 02, 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.
• Submitted by parent on October 30, 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.
• Submitted by other on October 22, 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.
• Submitted by parent on October 05, 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.
• Submitted by parent on October 02, 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.

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