Saint Patrick School

640 North Calumet Road

School District
Grade

PK, K-8
Type

private

GreatSchools Rating

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on April 04, 2023

I would not recommend this school to anyone. Not only is the school staff sexist, but they also enforce outdated and discriminatory practices. Whenever the 7th-grade class lines up, male students are forced to hold the door and are then relegated to the back of the line, while female students are given preferential treatment by being placed in the middle of the line. This kind of sexist behavior is unacceptable and has no place in our modern society.Moreover, the education at this school is abysmal. The teachers do not seem to care about their students and do not put any effort into helping them learn. They fail to explain concepts clearly and do not provide any meaningful feedback on assignments. The lack of support and guidance has left many students feeling lost and discouraged, which is not conducive to a positive learning environment.Finally, the school's corrupt practices are disturbing. The school staff do not follow their own guidelines and rules, which creates a sense of chaos and uncertainty. It is clear that the school administration is more interested in maintaining their power and control than in providing a safe and nurturing learning environment for their students. Overall, I would advise anyone considering this school to look elsewhere.
Submitted by parent on February 07, 2023

Based on both test scores and reputation, St. Pats is not only one of the best schools in the area, but also the state of Indiana. There are higher expectations at St. Pats, as there always has been. The curriculum expects more from every student than the public schools and that is why the majority of parents want their kids there. Every parent who has actually done their homework, spoken with the administration, teachers and other families before enrolling their children, this should be no surprise. While there is clearly an emphasis on Catholic education, there are students at the school who are Christian and not practicing as Catholics. The teachers at the school are top-notch, almost all having graduate degrees, and even doctorates. My overall experience with the teachers-from elementary to the middle school, has been very positive. If you reach out to them as parents, they will respond promptly. My friends who have children there all say the same thing. I have never felt there was a lack of access with any teacher, or any hesitancy to meet with me regarding an issue with my child. I see a couple posts on here stating the more "affluent" parents get some sort of special treatment. That is nonsense. St. Pats is an expensive school, but my husband and I are not wealthy and the school knows that. Even so, our family, and specifically our children, have never felt like they were being treated different. Academically, the school is top notch. You really feel like a close family.Bravo to the teachers at St. Pats and Fr. Jon!
Submitted by other on February 01, 2023

Going to this school was an absolutely horrible experience. You would think that for the price that is paid to even attend this school that it would be an above-and-beyond experience. Nope. Throughout the entire time that I attended this school, I was bullied, not only by fellow classmates but also by the staff. And from what I hear it has only gotten worse in the past few years. Teachers will show blatant favoritism towards the kids who come from high-income households (probably because they contribute the most money to the school). When I took the placement test in fourth grade to get put into honors and leveled courses I could very clearly tell that most of the people in the "honors class" were the more wealthy kids. The homework load is ridiculous. 5-6 hours of homework a night was the norm. 30-40 math problems, literature and grammar practices, social studies assignments (usually 15 questions with multiple parts), science worksheets and bookwork, and vocabulary lessons. I remember not being able to go to sleep until 10-11 at night at a very young age and never having any time to wind down at the end of the day. It was school for 7 hours and then homework until bedtime after that. Horribly draining and I was so exhausted every day at school.The teachers are some of the worst I've ever had. One teacher was so bad that I recall my mom telling me that several people ended up in intense therapy to help heal from the trauma that the teacher caused. Another teacher would never let students go to the bathroom. I know that numerous students had gotten sick on themselves, soiled themselves, or fainted because this teacher would NEVER let students leave for any reason. My last point is one that I feel is the worst. In my last year at this school, there was a case where a male student was being extremely inappropriate to the female students. When this was brought to the attention of our homeroom teacher and the principal, close to nothing was done. The only thing that was done was a lecture from the principal in front of the whole class and the main point of the lecture was it was the girl's fault for having a skirt too short (the girl's skirt was not rolled or anything and it was fitting how this style of skirt was supposed to).DO NOT send your kid here unless you want them to be emotionally drained, overworked due to the amount of homework set as a child, and harassed daily.
Submitted by other on December 02, 2022

This is a very “teach to test” institution…there is no focus on social growth, kids are inundated with homework and are constantly working ahead – first grade math in kindergarten, second grade math in first grade, etc. Minimum of 2 pages of math homework a night starting in kindergarten, with reading and spelling homework added on your child enters 1st grade – and apart from Mrs. Snow (truly an AMAZING pre-k teacher, deserves all the accolades and praise that she can get), the instructors appear to be rigid and rude at any opportunity. This includes the new principal. Their hot lunch program has been on hiatus since COVID, but tuition rates have increased. If you have an issue that needs to be escalated or request any additional information or clarification, be warned that you will quickly be dismissed, or the blame will be placed immediately upon your child (which the instructors seem to forget are actual children). The report cards generally offer no insight to your child’s growth and development. The school does cater to the more affluent parents, which is understandable due to the private nature of the institution. However, there seems to be an unbalanced focus on fundraising and raffling rather than on students and families. You will receive multiple emails at the beginning of the year raffling off a parking spot for $2k but there are no parent-teacher conferences or general updates about your child.The uniforms MUST be purchased through Land’s End – which typically will mean that you are easily shelling out hundreds, maybe even up to $1,000 on uniform items that are NEVER included on any sales through Land’s End. They do offer a uniform swap type of situation, not sure how many families take advantage of that.
Submitted by parent on October 27, 2022

For my child, this son is horrible. His mental health is in a constant decrease due to this. They get 30-40 questions of homework, each one of them being an A. B. C. question. This school is horrible.
Submitted by parent on July 27, 2022

As a St. Pats parent, I’m pleased with my son’s overall performance. The academics and overall expectations are challenging my son and helping him to mature into a well rounded individual. I don’t disagree that some students appear to get preferential treatment (based on who their parents are and/or upper class status). I have used this experience as a teachable moment with my son to explain that life indeed isn’t always fair but you give your best anyhow. He is successful anyhow not because of St. Pats but because as a parent I have the responsibility to shape his character as well. There are some families with children at St. Pats who will complain about the “privileged” children who get all the breaks. I think if you raise your child to overcome adversity and teach them about integrity then these issues become irrelevant. My son is a hard worker because of the high expectations that I give him as well as the high expectations at St. pats school. It’s not a perfect school but it’s a school that has educated him well about life as well as academics.
Submitted by student on February 02, 2022

As a student to this school, I feel like the teachers aren't good and can be very bad. I will list my bad things about it below.Homework:We will usually have 30-20 problems a day, I don't think this is bad, but if you miss a day, that stacks. And it stacks fast.Character:This school is very strict depending on the teachers, but some teachers are braindead in the way they take punishments. If there is a kid being reported, then they will brush it off, because "The teachers spoke to them in private" but, the bully in subject, hasn't changed a single bit.Teachers:Some teachers are great! They can be bad at times, but most of them are fine. But, some teachers make my skin crawl. They don't sound like they care about your grade, and they only care about their paycheck. There was a teacher I had (I refuse to name what teacher, grade, etc.) They would scream at the kid who was in trouble. Like, get in the kid's face (not even a foot away) and scream at them until they break and cry. This happened to me once. Learning differences:I haven't seen much of this, because I haven't heard of a kid with learning differences at this school, so I will leave a 3/5 because I am unsure from what I have seen.Leadership:The teachers are good at leadership, at least the kind teachers are. The rude teachers don't really show good leadership.The kids probably show better leadership then the *bad* teachers.Bullying:Don't even get me going on how bad this school is with dealing with bullies, I had a bully once, and I did tell the teacher, and the bully kept going after the teacher did talk to him, but since he didn't get a punishment, he didn't learn to not do it.There are better places to go to.
Submitted by parent on August 09, 2020

Not at all what I wanted for my child. Very disappointed.
Submitted by parent on April 24, 2014

I love this school and so do my children. They have wonderful teachers and staff that genuinely care about your child and their education. They are like an extension of your family. If you ever need anything they always go above and beyond to help. I think it is well worth the money. Even if you are not Catholic you should consider this school. They are a great school with Indiana DOE four star accreditation!