Juan Diego Catholic High School

300 11800 South

Draper, UT 84020

22 Reviews

School District
Grade

9-12
Type

private

Find Homes for Sale in this School Zone

Reviews

Submitted by parent on April 14, 2021

This first thing this school's profile shares it that they are Utah's only high school winner of a National Blue Ribbon Award. There are actually 11 other high schools in Utah who have won this award. Be prepared for more twisted facts that conveniently favor this school over others.
Submitted by other on February 06, 2021

When you have a faculty and staff committed to excellence, it’s no surprise they are a National Blue Ribbon school. What’s more important than educating the future of our country!
Submitted by parent on September 10, 2018

Our two sons attended Juan Diego for 9th and 10th grade until we moved to Austin, TX this summer. It was an incredibly positive experience for them, even coming in as new students to the community as high schoolers. The administration, staff, teachers, and academics, including AP classes, are top notch, and the accepting and inclusive atmosphere on campus was unparalleled. Neither boy was in sports, so we can't speak on that, but, one was in theater arts and choir (which he loved), and both felt completely included and very much a part of the community. We highly recommend visiting campus and seeing for yourself!
Submitted by parent on May 23, 2018

Wonderful!! We've had 2 children graduate from JDCHS 2009 & 2013 and, 1 that will be a senior 2018/2019 school year. When you've graduated from JDCHS or are still attending, employers will hire JDCHS kids before surrounding school even with a better GPA because of their values!
Submitted by parent on May 17, 2018

We have loved our experience at Juan Diego. We love the community feel and all of the wonderful traditions that this campus has to offer. We feel that the school offers an excellent education while also promoting extra curricular activities including the arts, athletics and social justice programs. The teachers, faculty and staff are amazing. Our children began in the daycare and we are grateful for their "cradle to college" experience on this campus. We feel so blessed to be a part of this community.
Submitted by parent on May 14, 2018

Juan Diego Catholic High School has been the best educational decision for our family. If you are looking for a school that is committed to excellence in education, building strong community bonds, Faith, STEMS, The Arts, the success of the whole child, who takes the time to partner with parents along the way, and has a strong commitment to service in the community...this is your school!
Submitted by parent on May 10, 2018

Juan Diego is warm and welcoming environment for all students, the teachers provide exceptional teaching techniques and one on one interactions that help the students better understand the subject and what is expected of them. Juan Diego is a large campus that hosts kids grades preK-12th. The students are in small classes and that allows interaction and unique bonds between students and facituly that you will see no where else. I have seen students come from public schools or even other private schools and whole heartedly fall in love with the Juan Diego dynamic.
Submitted by parent on May 08, 2018

In the 5h grade, my son was struggling with the group of boys he was with at a public school. We moved him to JD and the situation was improved. The students were more focused, driven and the educational requirements were higher. I now have 2 boys there and they both love it. It is not perfect but much better than the situation we were in. They have never been bothered about their religion as we are not Catholic. I appreciate the religious influence that is there without being left out. We are included.
Submitted by parent on March 20, 2018

After moving to Draper from across the country, We tried multiple schools and we pleased when we found JDCHS. Public school was exclusionary to our non LDS students. Charter schools were found to be dumping grounds after the elementary levels. This school is open to communication from parents and students, offer multiple opportunities to participate in activities. As a non Catholic family, we never found this to be an issue and did not find ourselves excluded or solicited. Diverse atmosphere and anytime we experienced ANY issues with our student, we simply called the school and got all the answers or assistance we needed. We had email/phone/in person contact with teachers, coaches, and administrators. Good education, traditional levels and advanced classes, safe and caring atmosphere. Less tuition cost than some other private schools in the area. We hope to see our grandchildren attend JDCHS someday.
Submitted by parent on August 02, 2017

This school is significantly overpriced for the quality of education particularly compared to the public schools in the area. The choices of classes are limited and the typical educational tools like a science lab and smart boards do not exist. There seems to be a focus on making a parent and student think they are getting a superior education without any real statistics to back it up. Parents are also constantly asked to donate money. The donation requests and lack of tools seem to relate to over 50% getting financial aide. The only good thing is the religious focus and some sports (definitely not all)!
Submitted by principal on December 01, 2015

I have been a parent and campus staff for 12 years. I'd highly recommend it for virtually any family - especially from out-of-state. Great community. Vertical teaming of K-12 teachers ensure college readiness, performing arts and debate are phenominal, and nearly every student participates in a sport or club. Racial, religious, economic diversity is important. Retreat programs like Kairos help students bridge divides and explore their interpersonal and spiritual nature.
Submitted by student on September 25, 2014

I have attended this school since pre school. The Juan Diego environment has allowed me to have the opportunity to excel academically, spiritually, as well as athletically. The students at Juan Diego are very accepting. However, the tuition is high and I question if a driven child would be able to receive the same amount of opportunities at a public or charter school?
Submitted by parent on June 14, 2014

We have been part the Juan Diego community for a long time. All of our children have attended this school. Overall the academics at Juan Diego are marginal. Our children took AP and honor classes and the quality of their education was average. Our children had to do a lot of self-learning and we had to essentially "home school" for a few years. They just do not pay the teachers enough and expect them to manage class sizes of 28+. Being a 3A school our children had an opportunity to get involved in sports, debate, and the arts. The debate program is excellent thanks to the debate leader and team. However, we were very disappointed in the overall leadership of the school. There are no checks / balances with family members running the school. We thought the faculty did the best they could given the administration they had to work with. Our children had an overall positive experience, but in hindsight, we could have saved $40K per child and sent them to a public high school where the academics are the same if not better. My children have graduated and say they wished they would have gone to public school instead. Do your homework before making a serious commitment.
Submitted by parent on March 23, 2014

I live in Draper and am coming into the catholic faith at the parish here. I am coming out of the Mormon faith. The Mormons have nothing like this. I have observed for over a yea r the programs here for the kids. These young people can get into any university of their choice after graduating, I wouldn't send my child anywhere else.
Submitted by parent on December 05, 2013

Three of my children attend Juan Diego. Transferring from the East Coast where education is better funded and very competitive, we were very happy with the honors and AP programs at the school. My children are involved in both sports and community programs. I'm especially happy with the inclusion of faith and social responsibility with the strong academic and other extracurricular activities. It can be hectic, but I believe they are being well prepared for all facets of life.
Submitted by other on April 01, 2013

I saw the graduating seniors college selections and it seems this high school prepares them for SLCC and not much else. Definitely not Chicago catholic school caliber.
Submitted by parent on January 21, 2013

Compared with public I would have rated JD higher than 2 stars. However, after spending thousands of dollars on tuition for the school (oldest son graduated, middle son went through soph year), I give it 2 stars compared with Judge, the other Catholic school option in Salt Lake. We were disappointed with academics at JD, particularly math program. Middle son is struggling to catch up with peers at Judge. Son who graduated is not where we would have thought he would be (despite earning >3.5 GPA each year). Unfortunately, we thought he was getting a great education until he started testing for colleges. I believe that the administration's first passion is sports, particularly football. My opinion is that some of the athletes seem to be 'helped' through the system to keep their eligibility to play sports. Yes, I'm a disgruntled former parent. Only posting because we are pretty disappointed that the education we feel our son received is not in line with what we thought we were signing up for 4 years ago. We have been thrilled with the education at Judge. Academically, I dont' think the schools compare. I've also been much happier with the spiritual aspect of Judge vs. JD.
Submitted by parent on November 01, 2011

We moved our kids from Rowland Hall two years ago to Juan Diego looking for a school that strives to bring out the best in our children, not only academically, but also socially and spiritually. For the most part, we found it here. There are no shortage of rules here (student handbook is over 30 pages) and the staff works to see that they are followed. Unlike at RHSM, bullying is taken seriously and addressed immediately. Academics are rigorous and students are able to take honors classes in all core subjects. Learning is often rote at the elementary school and grading uneven. Classes are huge, up to 36 students. Lots of AP options, particularly in the sciences. Most students go on to 4-yr colleges, many at top schools out of stated. Our family is not Catholic- while we like the grounding in biblical education and living the Golden Rule, the education of younger students can be very dogmatic. All students are encouraged to play on sports teams, many of which have winning traditions. Football players (and cheerleaders) are the social elite of the school, which can be discouraging for those not part of either group. Overall, an excellent learning environment.
Submitted by parent on March 13, 2011

We moved back to Salt Lake specifically for Juan Diego. The educational, sports, music, and misc. courses are second to none in the SLC area. I would venture to guess that anyone that is "disgruntled" in the school is not a paricipant in their children's future. Parents must be involved with service hours and this keeps up with the kids' education priorities and success. The sports programs are competetive but you can't tell me they aren't at any public school like Alta, Bingham, etc. I know of students that moved to public schools after a year or two at Juan Diego and every one of them spoke about how they don't receive the scholastic attention from the staff and the accountability that they were used to receiving at JD. Juan Diego truly prepares your student for college and beyond.
Submitted by student on January 19, 2011

I went to this school for all four years. It was a rip-off financially and even after we'd paid almost $10k each year for tuition they still begged for money every week with various excuses. We had to spend thousands of dollars for concurrent/AP enrollment, for textbooks, and for any club, organization, or activity that was not sport-related, even though most of this should have been covered in the ridiculous tuition. The majority of students were cruel and there was little diversity in the student body--the only sector that was accounted for was rich, white, and Catholic. The sole focus of this school is on sports, and if you aren't a star athlete you will probably be miserable at Juan Diego. High school was the worst four years of my life and I just wish I'd gone to public school. The entire idea of JD as "unified" is a downright lie, and the administration is horrible. Don't do it.