St. Augustine School (SAS)

3819 Clarington Avenue

Culver City, CA 90232

27 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on February 02, 2024

Great school. Well experienced teachers and principal. No bully. At all. Students are very happy and they have good relationships with teachers and principals
Submitted by student on May 23, 2023

I’m in junior high and I really like it. I’ve been here since like kindergarten and I always liked coming here and participating in the social and student council activity’s! It’s always been fun, junior high teachers have been a blessing. The principal on the other hand.. she has run this school to the ground, she yells at us, yelled at a classmate and basically bullied him… she seems nice and all like she wants to connect but still doesn’t. Everything else is great. Just the unfortunate events of the homeless situation and the fact that we lost a lot enrollment making here fire our Tech and PE teacher. These teachers basically raised me. I can’t play sports here anymore. The circumstances that happened affect the chance people can come here. Would recommend, yet the problems that happen here don’t make me 100 percent sure.
Submitted by parent on March 27, 2023

The worst school ever. Bullying is accepted according to this new teachers and the principal.. stealing kids lunch is accepted as well. If parents complain teachers retaliate on your kids.
Submitted by parent on March 01, 2023

This school has been a godsend for us. This is a small private Catholic school called St. Augustine right here in Culver City. They have a preschool through 8th grade. It was very difficult to move schools for my son but he has grown to love it. The small class size, structure, simplicity, and routine have really put him at ease. One does not need to be Catholic to attend.The school is very diverse culturally; Latino, Asian, Indian, and Black. I would guess at least 75% of students of color. The teaching staff is mostly Latino and white. The director, Dr. Nguyen, is a very smart, proactive, and considerate person. She personally spends time with my kids and other students to accommodate them. They personally give her a glowing review and I can tell you that is authentic.So, it lacks bells and whistles but the teachers are professional and effective. They just combined the classes in 1-2 and 3-4th grades. This is beneficial for offering extended learning for advanced kids. It also offers collaboration, re-teaching, and scaffolding for the kids who need assistance in specific areas. The teachers work to develop the student's autonomy and independence. They encourage critical thought and deep thinking with project-based assignments. I am an elementary school teacher myself and I really appreciate the staff here.My kid´s Culver City public school had a ratio of 32:1 in fourth grade. He was having behavior and attention problems and I thought it might be the class size and distractions. It was. Looking forward, the ratio is 36:1 in middle school. Additionally, there were safety and security concerns in the public middle school so I did not want him to attend. So we did move him in the middle of the school year but we are so glad we did.I do recommend this school.
Submitted by parent on March 01, 2023

The principal has run this school to the ground. What was once a good school is now just a shell of its former self. They recently laid off 5 staff (4 teachers and 1 maintenance staff) due to low enrollment. We were told that those who stayed had to take a pay cut and I think the remaining custodian quit. They combined the 1st and 2nd grade classes into one and the 3rd and 4th grade classes into one. The school does not have a school counselor, nurse or foreign language teacher and the kids now no longer have P.E. or Tech classes. It doesn’t look like there is any real investment going into improving anything at the school. We as parents are asked to help with fundraising but I’m not sure where the money actually goes. There are also homeless people living in RVs all along the entrance and exit on Jasmine street. I will be taking my child out of the school and I anticipate that other parents will do the same. I am not sure why the principal is still there but the school has been in constant decline on her watch.
Submitted by parent on January 29, 2023

We’ve been attending St Augustine’s School since 2019, when my oldest started TK. It’s a wonderful community for families looking for a quality education, encompassing values and morals in their curriculum. The principal, teachers and staff treat the students like their own. They truly look out for one another like a family. The principal recently had an eye clinic come in and all the students received a free vision exam. Some students even received new prescription glasses at no cost. That’s truly amazing. They also have fun events, like beach clean up day, which my kids loved and look forward to every year. St. Augustine’s School include sustainable global goals in their curriculum that develops a well rounded student. My girls come home from school happy, healthy, confident and smart. That makes me a happy parent!
Submitted by parent on January 27, 2023

Our family joined the St Augustine family in 2013. My daughter was 2 when we attended their preschool. She's now in 3rd grade and my son is in 2nd. The teachers have always been amazing. I love being able to send an email regarding my child and they always reply in a matter of minutes. They take the extra time to help my children if they are having trouble. When I thought that my son wasn't ready for second grade (due to the loss of learning during covid), she reassured me that he would be ok. Within a matter of weeks he became a fluent reader and great at math. I was in awww. All of the staff, from the principal to the janitor, are absolutely amazing. I live about nine miles from the school, we can go to any other school close by, but We love St. Augustine and wouldn't go anywhere else.
Submitted by parent on December 01, 2021

My son said one of the teachers said the n word
Submitted by student on June 02, 2021

I feel it is fun to learn different things in my class. I look forward to going to school.
Submitted by parent on March 04, 2021

Excellent School located in the heart of Culver City! If you are considering a private school that has great leadership, cares immensely for your children and their safeguarding then this will be a no brainer - It's is an amazing school!The other reviews have negative comments based on personal resentment towards the leadership team only because they were not catered to. The school and teachers are fantastic! My kids love it here and they are thriving- even in this pandemic and online learning!I'm happy that I made the choice to send my children to St. Augustine School. Best School around, hands down!
Submitted by parent on February 02, 2020

A very loving staff and strong school Principal at this school. A strong emphasis on encouraging well-rounded graduates. I really like that all the kids seem to know and care for each other.
Submitted by student on February 02, 2020

I like this school because there are brain breaks every 45 minutes to give our minds a rest.
Submitted by parent on January 31, 2020

Both of my children attend SAS and it is a great school for them.
Submitted by parent on January 30, 2020

Great experience, small school in a large city. Small class sizes. Easy and personal assess to teachers and administrators. Tight nit, supportive community. Definitely feels like having a second family. Extremely challenging curriculum (that’s a pro and a con).
Submitted by parent on January 29, 2020

Prior to 2013, this was a hidden gem, a place children wanted to be and a place where families were welcome. Since the current pastor/principal team took over, it is a disaster, which is evidenced by the very low enrollment and high teacher turnover. The kindergarten teacher just walked out in December. There are only three lifers there. Everyone else comes and stays a year, if that. This is not good for children.
Submitted by parent on November 23, 2019

My 6 year old son has been going here since he was 2 and a half, starting with their preschool program and now in 1st grade. What we love most is the sense of community at this school as the the school is first about caring for each child as if they were family and grounding them with how well they treat others. They balance this really well with making sure kids are progressing academically (my son is really taking a lot of pride with his school work) and letting the kids have fun and savor their friendships.
Submitted by parent on November 22, 2019

St. Augustine promotes diversity, compassion, and broad knowledge beyond the City's criteria. The children are allowed to be children.
Submitted by parent on November 21, 2019

SAS encourages excellence, prioritizes diversity and is a wonderful environment for children to learn and grow. We are really enjoying our time here as a family
Submitted by parent on November 19, 2019

My kids are in TK & Preschool 2. They have great teachers. The Preschool teachers are so sweet with my daughter and the TK teacher is very invested in teaching the students with art especially! which I love!
Submitted by parent on November 18, 2019

Wonderful and meaningful for the whole family