Good Shepherd Catholic School

620 Elizabeth Street

Denver, CO 80206

39 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by other on August 16, 2024

They are hardcore cleaning reviews. This school is a mess and they are cleaning the worst of it.
Submitted by parent on March 17, 2024

I have had two children at Good Shepherd over the past 7 years and I can say without a doubt it is the best environment for our family. We tried public school two separate times, once for kindergarten in a very affluent neighborhood and once for middle school. Both of our public school experiences were awful. Unfortunately, teachers and administrators of public schools have no control over their students. We appreciate the discipline and respect that is taught at Good Shepherd. Some may find it to be too strict, but we personally prefer the controlled environment for learning vs. the Lord of the Flies environment. My only criticism of Good Shepherd over the years is, I do believe there is room for expanding the curriculum especially for the middle school students. I think having Literature and English as two separate classes seems a bit redundant. I think these could easily be combined to offer kids some other specials that focus more on technology or other subjects.
Submitted by other on October 12, 2023

I am a parent of a child that went to Good Shepherd for middle school. It is such a lovely community, I wish I had known about it for preschool and elementary school. I was a little nervous bringing my child in for middle school because he didn't know many kids and isn't Catholic. But we all felt so welcome and included. I am now a substitute teacher at Good Shepherd and I love it. The students are bright and engaged. They are earnest and caring. The families value education and support the school in so many ways. It is my first choice in places to substitute teach because the students are so well behaved. They are kind to each other and to me. The teachers are well prepared and effective in their teaching methods. The hot lunches are delicious. The playground is newly renovated and fun for the kids. The athletics are strong. There is very little I can think of that could be better about Good Shepherd.
Submitted by other on October 07, 2023

This school seriously messed me up... The few people I talk to still that came from this school have been messed up by this school... Not good for your kids. You might like it. You might love it! It is not good for your kids. 20 years later and one of my biggest regrets is not doing more to get out of this school.Your kids will be worse off if you send them here.
Submitted by other on August 13, 2023

I went to school here and it was a terrible experience. This school seemed so crazy to me. The religion teacher would kick kids out for asking questions that in any way questioned the story of the bible or the catholic way. The principle gave way too harsh punishments creating a fearful environment for pre-teens. There was no sense of diversity and the Spanish teacher taught the same lessons every year it seemed. Not to mention that when I was struggling in math they made no effort to help me and would've just let me fail math that year as a 12-year-old because the teacher wasn't teaching well enough, many other kids were failing math tests and struggling as well. We missed out on so much learning for religious purposes and were forced to pray or our grade would go down. It seemed like families were favored for being there a long time and the dress code is crazy. On dress-out days you can only wear non-ripped jeans, sweat pants, and no tank tops or anything of the sort, which in my eyes is wrong, why are we making 11 and 12-year-olds worry about showing off too much of their body, they are LITTLE kids let them wear (to an extent) what they want! Basically, if you send you're kid here they will get a decent education that they could get anywhere else and it's simply not worth it here. Especially after going to and starting high school, many kids from other schools that were public knew more about math, social studies, and science. I really think after graduating high school going anywhere else would've helped me more in my high school career.
Submitted by parent on May 25, 2022

This is not a preschool program--it is poorly administered babysitting. Preschoolers watch TV all day, rarely have consistent teachers, are disciplined inappropriately, and when parents express concerns or ask questions they are told to trust their gut, rather than heard or conversed with. There is no curriculum, no routine, no academics. The bathrooms aren't even age appropriate.
Submitted by parent on March 29, 2022

This is a wonderful school. Having been part of the community as a parent and parishioner for over 15 years, I would highly recommend Good Shepherd to any parent wanting a Catholic education. As a current middle school parent, my children have been well educated made wonderful friends and been part of a great community.The academic are strong. The structure and size is great for middle schoolers. School sports are super fun. My children are able to participate in all the teams. We children started in Pre-School and we couldn’t be happier.The accommodate Learning Differences amazing, working with the student and teaching the students to advocate for themselves. The teachers, staff and parents continue to build a strong community.
Submitted by other on February 21, 2022

Most teachers are amazing! However, something needs to be done about how this school disciplines students and a safer place for students needs to be established. The counseling that I experienced in middle school was disappointingly unhelpful. From my recollection, intense disciplinary structure at this school increased anxiety and general bad mouthing between my peers. In all of the years I went to this school, I noticed that most teachers punished boys misbehaving far more than girls. Unintentionally, an idea that these boys were “bad kids” was reinforced frequently. Additionally, this school has a problem with homophobia and othering. Have they implemented any mental health resources for students since the pandemic started? Going from online school back to in person school is jarring enough, I imagine it to be horrific for younger kids.
Submitted by parent on February 16, 2022

Well considering the teachers are paid worse than public school teachers I’m not surprised they act highly unprofessional at times. They are not able to form a union because clearly god would never want such a sin as equal pay. The school is the least diverse place I have ever heard of. You learn false information about how the world was created and false information about abortions. Somehow in the year 2022 we still allow places like this to charge thousands of dollars of year to attend. It is a gross place that has impacted and still impacts people I know.
Submitted by other on December 13, 2021

If you want a great, caring Catholic education, do not choose this school. The bullying begins with the principal, pastor, some teachers and many students.. The archdiocese needs to come in and totally change the leadership of this parish and school. It is an embarrassment to Catholic education.
Submitted by parent on November 18, 2021

Agree with the recent reviews. Favoritism shown towards families based on lineage and donations. Behavior expectations and discipline inconsistently enforced based on whether the offender belongs to a favored family. Administration is shockingly unaccountable. Unless you are well connected, look elsewhere.
Submitted by other on September 16, 2021

I know what this school is like from the inside, as I worked there for years. Abusive administrators!Some faculty were harsh on the children. Socioeconomic of the parents got special treatment from administration and some teachers. I saw the abusive administrator(1) get worse in the past few years. Shockingly so.
Submitted by parent on April 15, 2020

1 out of 10mand that’s purely based on curriculum. The families are not welcoming unless you live with in a certain proximity of the schoolAnd the administration cares more about money than values despite the fact that this is supposed to be a catholic school.
Submitted by parent on July 12, 2019

Overall it’s a lovely community. There are a number of areas where they have received extensive feedback, but there are no visible changes yet
Submitted by parent on January 16, 2018

The decision to part with Montessori was difficult for the school but ultimately a good decision to keeping with their core strengths of achieving academics/test scores in a very inclusive environment that supports Catholic values. Our class size has become smaller since this change and I believe the teachers carry less stress due to the smaller classroom size. The children clearly benefit from this change. Mr. Strawbridge has been an effective leader and has succeeded in ways his predecessor was challenged. As we have yet to experience middle school, I can't speak on how peer issues are addressed at that level, although I have seen children transfer in and enjoy it. I would highly recommend the school to anyone looking for a Catholic education with a feeling of community, not only among the students but among the parents as well. Not having to engage in a middle school switch is something that is attractive to most students and parents. Once they leave for high school the 8th graders seem excited and ready for what awaits them. The younger children get to see the older children washing cars, selling merchandise, etc. to prepare for their trip. The Mass Buddy program is also a way the older kids have had the opportunity to lead the younger children. The school can seem large and intimidating to children who are new to preschool. Those with particularly shy preschool age children may wish to send their child to an environment more ECE focused. Our children were not exceedingly outgoing yet were able to learn and make friends while sharing a school with older children, so we were lucky. We favor that parent volunteering is a requirement as it helps us get to know the other parents and ties us in with our community.
Submitted by student on October 01, 2017

Amazing! I have amazing friends, and my knowledge has increased with the new principal Mr.Strawbridge I love GS and all of the students and teachers, as they help my needs in learning and spiritual growth.
Submitted by parent on December 08, 2016

It is an academically rigorous, caring, and respectful school that encourages creativity and leadership. And our daughter is having fun while learning. We moved her here after becoming frustrated by behaviors and the slow pace of another school. We really could not be more pleased.
Submitted by other on December 05, 2016

Both my children attend Good Shepherd and we couldn't be happier. We considered a couple of other private schools in the area (Greyland, Colorado Academy, St. Anne's). Ultimately, we decided to go with Good Shepherd because not only is the school top notch academically (top 2% nationally), but everything else it has to offer. Such as an unbelievably great community of families that are all very involved with the school and their children, families that have become great friends in and out of school and families that are trying to instill the same values (family, faith, education, confidence, etc.) and goals in their kids as us. Additionally, many of the top private schools focus 100% on test scores. Good Shepherd clearly does that as well, but also provides my children with a more well-rounded education also focused on religion, arts, self-esteem, etc., which helps us as parents to raise well-rounded, good people that will help make this world a better place for everyone. Finally, it does also help that the cost is ~$6K / year versus $25K / year for those other schools.
Submitted by parent on December 05, 2016

My child has attended DS 2 years. The experience has been great. That emphasis on Catholicism centers on mercy and helping those less fortunate. The church history is also emphasized which more than I received in the 1970's. The staff is smart and generally young with a very positive vibe. I like the administration. Overall, a very committed set of educators. I have absolute confidence that my child will be ready for High School. I find the kids that attend are well mannered and polite, at least to me as a parent. Great School.
Submitted by parent on November 16, 2016

We have been at Good Shepherd for 13 years--it has been an incredible experience for our family. Our two children have completely different learning styles and both flourished with support, creativity and leadership we found at Good Shepherd. Our older son was extremely well prepared for high school-- not only in the classroom, but as a young man that was comfortable communicating with teachers and coaches. New Principal Strawbridge is taking it to the next level for future students! Love the vision for GS as it continues to grow!