Good Shepherd Elementary School

3400 Market Street

Camp Hill, PA 17011

25 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on October 29, 2017

I have been a parent at Good Shepherd for four years thus far. My daughter has enjoyed her years at Good Shepherd and we have had a very positive experience. The teachers are caring and kind, yet challenge our kids to do the best that they can every day. The administration is supportive of our children and welcoming to the parents and families. The school encourages parental involvement which we appreciate, we enjoy being a part of our daughter's educational and social experiences. We are very happy at Good Shepherd and look forward to the years ahead, as well as looking forward to our other children attending the school!
Submitted by parent on October 28, 2017

I have been a parent at Good Shepherd school for the past 9 years. My daughter has been challenged by every middle school teacher. The teachers are there for the students and always have an open door policy. GSS offers so many extra activities that allows not only the children but also the parents to bond and form great friendships.
Submitted by other on October 27, 2017

My grandchildren go to this school as my children did. Every experience that I have had with Good Shepherd is positive and uplifting. The children receive a well rounded education and are always respectful with visitors. I have recommended this school/educational benefits to many.
Submitted by other on November 06, 2015

The school facility is pretty new, the staff is primarily young and the school teaches computers, and French - a mix of classic education and modern education. They even have a 3-D printer!
Submitted by parent on September 20, 2015

This school is a farce. I have been in Catholic education my whole life. The teachers are not good Christian leaders. I had a teacher tell me tattle -telling was "responsible reporting". By the time we left the school in the beginning of third grade my son was biting the skin off of the tips of his finger tips due to stress. Not a single teacher recognized this or asked if they could help. I agree with the one poster that nothing will change unless the church gets out of the school and you clean house . If you haven't put on the habit don't act like you've done the time. Also, make sure you get you name on the donate wall, helps a little bit!
Submitted by parent on May 07, 2015

School has improved but has miles to go. New principal is super but already seems to look deflated, as did his predecessors, after just one year. Continued staff turn over and decreasing numbers even with an excellent new leader. My opinion is that the issues lie above him and until that changes no principal will stay beyond their three year contract. My children like it there so we stay. I like it much better than public school option. But so much could be improved in comparison to the neighboring Catholic schools..
Submitted by parent on November 17, 2014

My daughter is one of 32 students in the fifth grade. I love the 16 student:1 teacher ratio in each of the two classes. The teachers are passionate about teaching - whether it be a hands on science exercise or a lesson from the Religion curriculum on "giving back". I am grateful to the Good Shepherd Parish and the Diocese of Harrisburg for its support of Good Shepherd School and my daughter's education.
Submitted by parent on November 06, 2014

I'm a parent of four students currently enrolled in Good Shepherd. Our family's experience here has been exceptional. Everything starts with the staff of any school, and the teachers our children have had have continually gone above and beyond as it relates to helping our kids become better students and better people. We have been pleased to see our kids grow in this environment and are confident it is giving them all the building blocks to succeed in high school and beyond.
Submitted by parent on November 05, 2014

I have one child currently at Good Shepherd and one has graduated and is now at Trinity. I have to say the education my child received at Good Shepherd was great!! It prepared him well for Trinity in all aspects. I was really impressed with the focus on grammar and writing which has served him well. As the second one is going through, I see continual improvements in the curriculum. Also the staff has gotten significantly better. I am so excited about the music program and other additional activities that are being added to the school.
Submitted by parent on October 17, 2014

We have several children enrolled at Good Shepherd. The teachers are top notch! The smaller class sizes allow our children to be given the extra attention to ensure they succeed.
Submitted by parent on June 30, 2014

small class size, many extra curricular activities, faith based, emphasis on mastering the basics - reading, math and science. Not without problems (what school doesn't have it's share) - but happy students = happy parents.
Submitted by parent on April 09, 2014

A small school - getting smaller. Should be able to provide good access to one-on-one help if needed. However, upper grade teachers are young, unapproachable, and do not go out of their way to interact with the parents or understand the kids they teach. School emphasizes responsibility to the kids, but teachers are slow to grade assignments, disorganized, and fail to use online tools to help them manage curriculum. Religious ed is great but also available via CCD and ultimately a parent responsibility.
Submitted by parent on February 01, 2014

This is great school my child has been on the honor roll every year starting in fifth grade my child has many friends and this is smart group of eight graders they are so nice this school benefits everyone everyone should send there child to GSS kids from public schools learn more In GSS than public schools best school ever
Submitted by parent on July 16, 2013

My child LOVES Good Shepherd. The religious aspect is bar none. However, if your child has learning needs of any kind I would caution My child does not have extra needs and can learn in an old school whole class setting. But there are still a few teachers who haven't modernized their teaching and that's where children who need small group or learning support instruction will lack. Kindergarten is fabulous there and other grades could take a page from their book. Biggest issue: The principal has zero people skills with adults, although is does quite well with the students. I understand not wanting parents to run the school and I agree. But he takes his authority to a level that is beyond rude. There are 1 or 2 teachers who still need replaced and, if that happens, and the principal gets a sensitivity chip and drops his ego down a notch with parents, GSS will be the best school in the diocese.
Submitted by parent on April 17, 2013

Very average but improving. Some teachers are terrific but there are many weak ones. New principal has very little people skills but is trying and getting better. He is learning and has hired more qualified teachers. Looks like curriculum is becoming stronger too. Religious education is fantastic, and that's one of the biggest drivers to send your child here, especially for sacrament prep. If they had a functional PTO, it could be a much better school. PTO is worst any parent I've met has ever seen in any school. If the principal and teachers were involved with PTO, maybe that would be incentive for someone to run it that understands how to run things. Many parents love volunteering here, but they won't get involved with PTO until it improves.
Submitted by parent on September 20, 2012

Good Shepherd is staffed by a team of caring and competent educators. One would be hard pressed to find a staff with more of a sincere interest in the welfare of each child. There are a number of opportunities to volunteer providing oample opportunity to be a part of the community and to get to know the staff, children , & other families. My children are happy here and are ahead of their peers in the level of education they have received.
Submitted by parent on September 11, 2012

Very disappointed! I went to Catholic School my whole life and didn't even consider anything else for my children. I have such regrets about sending my children to Good Shepherd. Whatever type of school it was in the past, it has since lost its luster. Most of the teachers, are old, lazy or jaded. My child was not inspired to love learning at this shool at all. The principal has changes every 2 years. If you need any sort of academic support, the teachers are clueless. The poor kids stand around by a fence at recess and have to take turns using the playground equipment - so half of recess is spent standing in line. The lunches are approx. $3.50/day and RARELY IF EVER contain both a fruit and or vegetable. 4 out of 5 days I would show up and see kids eating a sandwich and Doritos, or pancakes and sausage. When I asked the woman behind the counter one day where the fruit or vegetable was, she handed me a snack pack of JELLO! Most of the days, they didn't have ANYTHING resembling a fruit or vegetable. If you are even considering going to this school, please talk to some parents that are there now and ask lots of questions! I would NEVER recommend this school to anyone.
Submitted by parent on August 03, 2012

If you value a school where the administration and staff hide behind a cloak of "Christian values" in order to create a punitive, demeaning, and controlling climate while the individual talents and needs of children go unrecognized and parents are ignored, then this school is for you. Just be prepared for your child to lose his/her innocence in first grade, and be ready to deal with constantly questioning your own faith at the hands of these people (unless, of course, you are in the staff-preferred clique of certain parents). The academic rigor is extremely subpar, unless you care that your child masters the concepts of abortion and genocide in first grade as teachers here do not follow the Diocesan curriculum for religion or other "less important" subject such as reading and math. Leaving this school for the sake of my child's dignity and emotional health was the most pious act that I will have ever performed.
Submitted by other on July 16, 2012

Poor education. Most children behind public school peers. My ward was held back to redo first grade because their "token Nun" doesn't know or understand how to deal with a ADHD child. Made my ward wet herself several times by terrifying her. Never responds to emails and tells the 6 year old child to tell the parents what the parent is doing wrong instead of confronting the parent themselves.
Submitted by parent on June 29, 2012

I always thought that if you paid a private school for the education, the education would be superior to the public school education. I couldn't have been any more wrong! My child entered kindergarten reading. The teachers refused to challenge him in reading at all, indicating that my child simply didn't demonstrate any advanced reading abilities. They refused to refer him to the reading specialist or try to figure out why we were seeing something that they were not. We had him tested in our school district. The teacher responded to our school district's questionnaire that he "cannot decode" (ie. he can see the word "cat" and knows that it is "cat" but can't break it down to c-a-t). Our school district proved that not only can he decode, but he can decode better than 96% of his peers. Two indepedent kindergarten teachers said that he is reading at a 2nd grade level - at the end of the school year GS teachers indicated that he hadn't even met the kindergarten benchmark. GS didn't push math at all and according to both independent teachers after graduating, he is in no way prepared for first grade math! He is being tutored over the summer and we are not returning to GS!