St Thomas The Apostle School

50 Byrd Avenue

Bloomfield, NJ 07003

19 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on March 08, 2023

STA is a home for our children and our family! The community is wonderful! The teachers and administration are very welcoming and their lines of communication are always open to all families! I must say when I was toured by Mr. Petrillo he was very energetic and passionate about everything that is St. Thomas the Apostle School. His energy emulates through the teachers, and it shows in the work of the students. I would highly recommend this school to anyone looking!
Submitted by parent on March 07, 2023

The teachers here are awesome. Our children have learned so much since beginning in Kindergarten. Now as we get ready to graduate all I can say is it was well worth it! The entire experience through Covid-19 and everything was handled very nicely. The principal focuses on all of the children, the teachers are amazing and communicate very well with parents, and the community is very welcoming. We have been happy to call St. Thomas the Apostle School a second home!
Submitted by parent on March 07, 2023

The school is amazing. Our family came here post-pandemic and have been welcomed ever since. Our children started in Kindergarten and in 2nd Grade at the time. I must say the academics are higher at times than that of public schools. If anyone is looking for a great school, with caring and dedicated teachers, a principal who is energetic and positive all the time, and a community that is welcoming St. Thomas is the place!
Submitted by parent on March 07, 2023

Our family has been at St. Thomas the Apostle School for 3 years now. We couldn’t be happier. Our daughters love seeing their friends every morning and run in with them to their classes. As a parent you want your kids to love school and we can happily say that our children love going to school. The teachers are caring and trained well. The principal is receptive of everything going on and takes constructive criticism well. He makes sure to greet every child every morning, and there is something to be said about that. The energy that the teachers put into their every day lessons is something to see. Our children come home with wonderful stories each night of what they learned. The lines of communication between the parents and teachers, and even the principal are always open. The academics continue to challenge our children who came from public school during the pandemic. We are proud to say that we are HAWKS!
Submitted by parent on May 21, 2022

Academic not to par.They don’t prepare you for HS . Too much bullying going around And principle does nothing about it. Also for a Catholic school religion is nonexistent your child does not learn anything.
Submitted by parent on January 09, 2019

A great school that is focused on developing the entire student (academically, socially, spiritually, and physically).
Submitted by parent on November 07, 2018

Very lackluster administration and performance that shows blatant favoritism ...poor test scores on the state level and administration couldn’t be bothered to have a sit-down discussion o this matter with me as a concerned parent!!!
Submitted by other on June 01, 2016

The people who say bad things about STA are very wrong in my opinion. The teachers at St. Thomas the Apostle School has truly taught me a lot of things that I am learning in school now. As a graduate, I can say that STA is full of great teachers, faculty members, and students. It is a great choice to send your child there, and it is most certainly better than any other public or private schools in the area. Not only are the academics up to par, but so is the athletic program. The school also stresses the importance of God in your life, which is also very important.
Submitted by parent on January 28, 2016

I think private schools are better than any other public schools. However it's gotten so expensive that it will always make you think if it's all worth it. The academics are fine at STA, but nothing great. There are extra curricular activities and the school and parents take pride in that. If you find this valuable, you will be happy here. The teachers, staff and curriculum can be better improved to justify the cost.
Submitted by parent on January 03, 2016

We have been a member of the St. Thomas School Community for 6 years. We do not live in Bloomfield, we live in a community with public schools that receive high ratings and we chose to send our children to St. Thomas to receive their education. We believe our children are receiving a higher level of education than they would in any public school. We can easily see the difference when the kids get together with kids from other schools. The extra-curricular projects at St. Thomas are second to none. There is a chess club, a keyboard club, a lego club, a full band, a drama club and sports for every season including cheerleading. The sports at STA are no more competitive than any other school. The kids get out of it what they put into it. There are no cuts, anyone can play. The coaches are all volunteer and some have been coaching at STA for 10 years or more. As a family we have never had a second thought about our decision to send our kids to St. Thomas. We highly recommend the school to anyone who asks. We look forward to the future of St. Thomas and watching our children mature into young adults and move on to high school..
Submitted by parent on June 13, 2015

I'm very pleased with St. Thomas. My children are learning, and most importantly are surrounded by a supportive community. I like that all the teachers, and students in different grades and parents, know my kids and they feel that community spirit. I'm sure they would learn the same academics in the local public school, but I'm so glad they are growing up in this type of community, esp in the middle school years.
Submitted by other on June 13, 2015

St Thomas has an excellent community of families and teachers they are always up to date with current curriculum and activities such as istem robotics and sports the students are taught to respect others and receive an excellent religious education
Submitted by principal on June 13, 2015

St. Thomas is a school community focused on education, faith, and growth as a person. The teachers take their time to help each student succeed to the best of their abilities. The students and families are supportive of the school and are always willing to help out. The faculty and staff focus on nurturing and improving the intellectual talents of the students through the use of our impressive technology, following of core curriculum standards, and various techniques of teaching! Coming to work here everyday is like coming home, the school is a family, a family that continues to grow as one and invites new members all the time!! -Teacher of 5 years at STA
Submitted by other on May 01, 2015

St.Thomas is full of bullies. The children here are so unfriendly. There are kids getting cursed out, being called names, going into groups and gossiping, and some kids are just unruly and curse out the teacher too! The teachers seem to be taking care of the issues more than teaching, and we are so unhappy at this school. The teachers are giving a lot of detention-during school-and we think that it's not enough. There are always fundraisers too- a lot of them, and we have plenty of moments to spend extra money. Sports are focused on way too much. I hope that over the summer they can fix these problems. We are very unhappy, and disappointed.
Submitted by parent on January 16, 2015

My child goes to this school and happy and comfortable to be with friends. However, I think academics is inadequate. The teachers don't seem to be as enthusiastic and dedicated as they used to be. The members of the administration are nice people but there seem to be a lack of interest on their part. Communication has gotten worse and families are not as friendly as they used to be. There is a great deal of focus on extra-curricular activities particularly sports. A lot of the kids are competitive and enjoy it. However as parents I think they need to work on a more balanced curriculum and improve relationship with parents.
Submitted by parent on October 25, 2014

I've always been somewhat skeptical about the quality of the education my children were getting at STA. There's a little more advancement in technology but hard to see the penetration of technology and specialized programs in the class material. I think the staff and infrastructure could use an infusion of new energy, but the base is sound. Sports is a big focus in this school, I think. Not necessarily bad but I think there has to be some balance against academics and other extra-curricular activities. With parent interaction, it's either you're in or you're out. My child is happy with the school, progressing and has made friends. If public school is improved in the area, I would probably go that route.
Submitted by parent on March 05, 2014

St. Thomas is a great alternative to Bloomfield Public schools. Unlike public schools, there is no mandate to follow the Common Core standards. The teachers are free to teach the ways they know best. All the teachers are there because they love teaching- not due to their public school salaries or pensions. This school has a strong community feeling. Opportunities for after school activities and sports are plentiful which produces well-rounded students. The students have a sense of pride attending STA.
Submitted by other on February 13, 2014

Top priority was not all about academics. Sports and fundraising and fundraising - definite yes. You have some good teachers but many can use more training. Decent amount of extra curricular activities, may be important to some.
Submitted by other on November 04, 2013

Not worth the money. Teachers and academics are so-so. They put emphasis on sports though ... so if that's what you want, this is for you. Disappointed.