St. Bridget School

171 Main Street

Cheshire, CT 06410

15 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-8
Type

private

Find Homes for Sale in this School Zone

Reviews

Submitted by parent on July 23, 2024

I have been a longtime parent at St. Bridget School. Unfortunately, we made the difficult decision to pull our children out after their academic success really deteriorated. High teacher turnover contributes to lack of learning. I had to hire a tutor for my children in math especially in middle school. The middle school math teacher turned over four times Just this past school year. The principal and administrative team does little to address bully behavior, especially if that bully’s family donates money. Very often the school looks the other way with children who bully others. A new principal is slated to start in 2024–2025 and already students who were kicked out previously for behavior are now allowed back into the school.Best of luck to anyone who decides to send their children here. It was once a nurturing environment, but no longer lives up to this.
Submitted by parent on October 01, 2023

I would absolutely not recommend this school. In fact, I would tell you to avoid this school at all costs. My child was treated HORRIBLY. They don't even bother to try and deal with snobby students and bullying. When a problem was brought up to the principal by my kid they were told off the bat without being heard out that they wouldn't try and fix it at all. The teachers are new every year (probably because of how the school operates) which gives students 0 time to connect with teachers. The schools approach to "attempt" to make students feel comfortable is mediocre After years at this school I wish I pulled my kids out earlier because the behavior at this school is inappropriate. In addition the feel of the school for a parent is as if some parents are more valued than others. For instance, a set of parents have always gotten their way at the school and it seems as if they have more power over other parents. This school (especially in recent years) has completely gone off the rails and the staff is just horrid. STAY AWAY FROM THIS SCHOOL.
Submitted by parent on November 08, 2022

to start this review off, this school is the worst program for my kids or any kids in general. when we first looked at the school we thought it was gonna be a good fit for our kids, knowing that our daughter had ADHD and had hard times with other schools. while walking through we were told that it was more one on one with teachers and less bullying. it was the total opposite. they let bullying happen making up the excuse that " they didn't see it" or "it's being handled". and don't get me started on sports. a girls mother complained about my daughter playing more then her daughter and the priest, the head, without talking with me beforehand, he walked up to my daughter while warming up for the game and asked her if she was gonna keep her attitude or not. she didn't feel comfortable with that and quit that very same day. the kids were the worst part of all. they are ignorant, stuck up, rich kids that never heard of the word no. a bunch of bullying would go on and the excuses were the worst part. they either " handle it" and tell the kids to forgive and forget or "we didn't see it happen". the priest wouldn't talk to me or my family until kids complained about my daughter. her mental and physical health was not okay with this school and it appears that it's getting worse by the second. apparently my daughter is being told that her and her class are the worst kids to exist in this school? they are the " worst " because one girls was wearing make up to protest the make up rule and she got in trouble. she also did nothing to deserve that statement. make up should be okay, it was just a bit of mascara and concealer. my daughter said she looked natural, no spider lashes and not covered in make up, and still got in trouble saying she could either wash it off or get a conduct referral. and the girl also got a uniform notice and a call home because she wore a tank top that was covering her shoulders and told that it showed too much cleavage, my daughter wore the SAME EXACT THING. this school is so unhealthy, I'm done with it. don't expect me to pay 5k a year + more for things I don't even care about and make my daughter feel worse and worse by the year. my daughter has been crying saying she doesn't wanna go to school the next day because of all of this. fix your school or else I will tell every other family in the school what you have done. most parents don't even know what's going on with their child due to the fear they have put in them. shame on you.
Submitted by parent on August 19, 2022

We switched to St. Bridget School during the pandemic, and I have children at three different grade levels attending this school. Coming from a public school I love the communication each teacher provides the parents weekly at this school. I also love the grading system used and the availability of an online system to see all my child's grades for homework/tests/and projects anytime. Considering faith is very important to me, I am very happy that the foundation of their education is based on the Catholic faith and that religion is taught in class thus not needing to attend CCD outside of school. It is great to also attend mass on Sunday and see how the school is connected to the church through announcements, and the church bulletin. I love the wholesome education provided in all subjects and enrichment classes that include learning Spanish, art, music, maker space, gym, and library. It is also good to see students being taught to write in cursive and get opportunities to participate in mass if they choose to. Most staff members/teachers are caring, respectful, supportive, friendly, and want their students to be successful. If there is a concern or issue you can easily communicate by email, phone, or in person.
Submitted by parent on July 21, 2021

LOVE THIS SCHOOL!!! We couldn't be happier with the learning environment and the education our children are getting.
Submitted by parent on June 12, 2019

I would rate this as a very poor experience. It was shocking to see how this school operates. The only positive was the families we became friends with.
Submitted by other on June 11, 2019

My experience at this school was not good, people are not accepting of differences and it can be a toxic environment for people trying to break out of their shell and learn about who they are. Leadership and teachers are ineffective and i would not recommend sending your child here.
Submitted by student on June 11, 2019

The school hasn’t taught me much, except for how to tolerate prejudice. Teachers also, for whatever reason, love to tell students how terrible they are. Actual things teachers have said to students include “You’re the worst class ever,” “Kindergarteners can do this,” “The other class is so much better than yours,” and so on. I assure you that this is the worst school experience ever.
Submitted by parent on May 27, 2019

We've been here for a few years and at first, we loved the school. The teachers were great. However, the parents in the school are generally cliquey and not accepting of outsiders. The overall feel is that these parents have a sense of entitlement and that they are elite. They think because they donate items or time that somehow they are wonderful people and in reality, they are the snootiest, snottiest people with a huge sense of entitlement. I finally gave up when I found the teachers were no longer that fabulous and the administration works against you every chance they can. There is no more reason to stay with the school as there is really nothing positive about it. There is no sense of inclusion at all.
Submitted by other on May 24, 2019

We came here to avoid some of the issues in public schools but found other issues. I'm sad to say that we stayed a bit too long before pulling our kids out. It's not a warm and nurturing environment and many of the teachers are unqualified to teach.
Submitted by parent on March 16, 2019

While we are grateful for the small class sizes, the closure of other Catholic schools has resulted in an influx of students. The current leadership is not able to manage this growth and keep up with the current teaching trends.
Submitted by other on February 21, 2017

My children have been at St. Bridget school for many years. Since we have started they have loved the school. They have always had wonderful teachers, friends and great experiences. They have great morals,values and are taught respect and discipline. The academics are great and have always been above my expectations. They are doing work beyond their grade levels and have no issues at all keeping up. We really enjoy the school and have met some great families and friends. If you are considering a Catholic education I highly recommend that you call them to get more information and a tour! We love it!
Submitted by student on June 15, 2016

Good school, excellent for K – 5. Do not attend middle school. We stayed and are sorry. There has been an exodus of families in the 7th grade. They are the smart parents. Many are kids that have been there since kindergarten and leave even for public school, rather than deal with another year. The families are good families & their kids do not cause trouble. There is bullying & in many private schools what the bully did they would be expelled. Not here. Lack of supervision in cafeteria and this leads to issues. There are some good middle school teachers, but there are a couple of bad teachers that you do not want your child in their class. They lack ability to control a class and at times do not teach and when they do are not good teachers. They have more discipline referrals than the others that can control a class. I would ask my child what they did in the class and many times I would hear, we read the book and answered the questions while the teacher walked around or did something else. Why pay for that when you can do it at home. Homework at times is excessive and you will give up many a weekend for hw or project. At the end of the year they tell the class they are behind and jam all kinds of hw that is excessive because they did not do their job the families pay for it at night or weekends. Science fair is unfair to child. Should be done in 20 weeks, teacher pushes it on the kids in 13 weeks right through the holidays. You give up weekend family time for the science fair. Teacher tells kids go to the fair web site and if child does what web says it is wrong because the teacher will modify it to meet their workload not for learning. Child gets assignments that totally contradict what your child has learned. Ex. A paper that is restricted to a couple of paragraphs. So to not lose points your child does it but it is not structured correctly in terms of paragraph formation because they really cannot do it in a couple of paragraphs. If you do dance, music, gymnastics your child gives one up or plan on being up until 9:00 – 10:00 at night. Rather than address behavior issues & bad teaching they are bragging about Iowa scores. There is favoritism w families. The school has changed for the worse in one year. Parents here need to open their eyes, ask their child questions, and look hard at how their child is learning and being assigned
Submitted by parent on June 08, 2016

The newly hired principal is ineffectual, underqualified, seeing as this is her first school principal job and she's only ever been a teacher, and has little to no personal skills. She is aloof in her interactions with parents, especially toward those whose children are in the middle school. She doesn't take suggestions and seems to believe that she knows it all.
Submitted by other on March 17, 2016

As a former student, I should be proud of this school. I am, but there have been times where I am just sad at how this school is turning out. Here is my HONEST review of this school. Here are my pros about this school. This school really advances you. It helps, especially when you reach high school. I found high school much easier than "advertised". What I mean by that is teachers for some reason describe high school much harder than it really is. Sure they tell you exactly what you will expect, but they say it in a way that makes you want to fear high school. The school has fun, yet challenging classes, and MOST teachers treat everyone equally and fairly. MOST of the staff is friendly, many of them strict yet extremely kind and caring. The school emphasizes on faith and how important it is to us Catholics, and the school as a whole goes to church every Friday. This school excels at academics. Here are my cons. The old priest was really nice, down to earth, wasn't greedy, almost sinless. Unfortunately, he died a few years ago, and then came this new priest. He seemed nice, at first, then his true side became known to us all. He is strict, which I think is a good thing, and he cares about the financial problems of the school. That is basically all that he cares about. Money. If you donate a large sum of money, and he knows it is you who donated it, he will be nice to you and your kids. He will be nicer to them than he is to other students. I have lots of evidence to support this. Siblings that I have and a few other kids I know in the lower grades have talked about him and the other priest smoking cigars, just casually, and have heard rumors about them going to bars and pubs , which could be false, but I honestly think that these rumors are true. Also, recent changes with certain things in the school have also disappointed me, like homework club, that used to be completely free, now has a fee. You used to be able to use laptops for homework and ask teachers questions, but now, none of that is allowed and you cant leave the room until it is done or collaborate with other students. Its like paying for your own detention. 8th graders now end school the same time other grades do. 8th grade used to get out a few weeks earlier, which is good because high school starts a few weeks earlier than St. Bridget's does. I used to like this school, but itsjust gotten worse.