St. Patrick Catholic School

1620 Marlborough Road

Fayetteville, NC 28304

36 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on June 10, 2024

My daughter had a horrible experience for Pre K. She was so excited to attend “real school” and by the end of the year she dreaded going. Her race was brought up on multiple occasions. She was told by one child they can’t play with her because her hair is not golden. She was called black on two other occasions. The first incident was never brought to my attention by the school. My 4yr old had to tell me about her experience and I had to approach the school about it. The second incident I received a call from the front office who told me “they don’t believe there was any ill will in bringing up my child’s race”. My daughter has been traumatized based on her skin color. The teachers or school made zero effort nor did they care about the effect of my child’s emotional wellbeing. They also don’t acknowledge black history month. The school had a Christmas program where you could only attend if you took a training. Took a multiple hour training just to get to the program and be told a background check was also a requirement (which was NOT listed). Then you have your 4yr old asking why their classmates parents were there for the Christmas program and hers wasn’t. The absolute worst experience. Would never send my child back to this school even if it was free.
Submitted by other on June 28, 2023

I graduated from St. Patrick's Grammer School in 1957 and received the foundation for an education that allowed me to continue on and obtain a doctorate in Jurisprudence. The sisters at the school at the time were outstanding. I will always cherish the memories I have as a result of my attendance at St. Patricks.
Submitted by parent on November 18, 2021

An absolutely horrible experience. Multiple children over multiple grades/years and I can positively say this is a bad school. PK, K, 1 and 2 are a joy! The teachers care, nurture, communicate and teach! Most families leave before 3rd grade due to the teacher. She is a bully and teaches to only the top 10%. Better be on that train or your child is left behind.In terms of administration, it’s been bad for years. But this year things were taken up a notch with a principal who has no teaching or real-life educational experience. She previously hid out in a small school in Raleigh and had a horrible reputation for no ability to problem solve. Same experience at St Patrick’s School. Request a call or meeting - she will pretend to take notes and you will never hear from her again. It would be helpful if she actually spent some time outside of her office to know what’s really going on at the school. Zero follow up, zero presence, zero caring attitude. More than half of us don’t even know what she looks like because she’s never at school drop off, pickup, sports or getting to know the families.The school has no parent volunteers or involvement. What school does not have a single person who wants to start a PTA.Lastly, you would hardly know this school was Catholic. Don’t expect to see any priest involved in ANYTHING. The school coordinates nothing with the parish! Not even an email sent out about summer VBS to the students and the church is 30 yards away. It’s hard to find a religious private school with no ties to their church, so if that’s your thing - bingo!It’s easy to think these are one-off situations and you will have a different experience. I think the school does a great job of courting families and then the real colors come through a year in. Stay away and look to Village Christian, St Ann’s or a good public school.
Submitted by other on October 25, 2021

My daughter's experience in the school is wonderful. We moved to the town in summer and I got my kid enrolled without problems, even I couldn't submit some materials on time due to the moving. The staff are caring and very lovely. They respond very fast and I can see they really care about my daughter. The front desk staff are amazing! I enjoy the short talks with them everyday when I pick up my daughter from extended care. We are Asian and minority, but never experienced any problems. I asked my daughter, and she said she never witnessed bullying behaviors. Once a student made some jokes on her but without bad intention. After she reported it to the teacher, the teacher handled it perfectly and it never happened again.There are some negative experience posted about the school and I'm truly sorry that they had those experience. My daughter is in 4th grade and the teacher is really inspiring and caring. Great communication with her and other teachers. They are very patient and really want to ensure everyone's safety during the pandemic. The leadership is great. Before we moved here, we lived in Florida. One school there has horrible leadership and very few teachers care. My daughter was anxious and neglected. Compare to that school, Saint Patrick really did a great job as a catholic school. Overall, our experience is excellent here. I would definitely recommend Saint Patrick to others.
Submitted by parent on March 22, 2021

*The mission of Saint Patrick Catholic School is to nurture each child as an individual in a caring, Catholic, Christian environment, so that his/her uniqueness can contribute to God’s plan for the world.We read a lot of good review regarding St. Patricks and we as first time parents even went on their Pre-K school tour . They answered every question we had and assured us they could help our child with transitioning to kindergarten. But throughout my Childs time there we have not felt that they prepared him for kinder. Instead of working with us they just expect us to do everything at home.This school lost my trust in them a month in but I still decided to give them a chance and DEEPLY REGRET that decision. The more the school year has gone by the more they showed me that their interest wasn't on my Childs development.Since my child attend St. Patrick he has not gained confidence . if anything he has been scrutinized the entire year.
Submitted by other on October 29, 2019

Our experience here was not a good one. Effective teachers should use differentiated instruction to reach as many students as possible. Expectations are typically higher for students in Catholic/private schools, but that goes both ways; expectations for the teachers should also be held to a higher standard. Teachers should not be using antiquated practices. Support is lacking at this school. Guidance counselors are not mandated in the state of NC, which is concerning in and of itself, but if you or your child needs any support, good luck. Communication is also lacking here. We had high hopes of sending our child to Catholic school, but this school was not a good fit for our family. If your child "plays" school well, they will probably do well here. Disappointing experience for us though.
Submitted by other on September 24, 2019

I had a horrible experience, please stay far away from this school, especially if you are a minority.
Submitted by parent on May 01, 2018

We have had an excellent experience at this school. I don't know about the past problems that I read about in the other reviews. There is a new Principal now and she is making positive changes but maybe those unhappy parents thought everything would change overnight. It takes time to change the direction of a school. I was really surprised to read the review from the community member that said there was no nurturing at the school. On the contrary, I have found the teachers and administration to be really caring. But then, we have been to a number of schools over the years and have a lot to compare it with. Also, my kid is self-disciplined and hard working and we have had nothing but a good experience. Go visit the school and talk to them and see for yourself.
Submitted by other on February 07, 2018

This school had potential and then just went down hill and fast. There is such a disconnect with the teachers and the students. There is no nurturing at all for the students and no extra tutoring if your child is struggling. The school seems to be more concerned about money than how the students are progressing or if they are succeeding for that matter. The bullying that goes on this school just gets swept under the rug and doesn’t get dealt with. It’s definitely a cliquey school and some rules that apply to some do not apply to others. I’ve also never been to a school where the PTO meeting weren’t open meetings. We love to be active as we can in our kids school but being working parents, we don’t have time to join the PTO. That has never been an issue in our past Catholic schools and they have always had their meeting open so parents in our position still knew what was going on. This seemed really sketchy to us as well. All in all if you’re looking for a family feeling and a good supportive system for your kids, I strongly feel that this is not the place.
Submitted by other on December 14, 2017

This is in response to a community member that posted such a harsh and judgmental review in May 2017. If you are a member of the community and not a parent or student, how can you make such judgments without first hand experience. It is my understanding that the temporary administration worked with the teachers and staff to keep the school moving forward during a time of transition until a permanent administrator could be found. The uncertainty must of made it an unsettling and uncomfortable situation for all concerned but it appears that the team effort allowed the school to move forward effectively. Making such statements as "the administration steered morale and confidence into the ground" does nothing but fail to recognize a dedicated and committed team working together to maintain a strong educational program for its families under challenging circumstances. St. Patrick's offers a solid program focused on Catholic values and high standards. They now have permanent leadership with their new principal who is very experienced and appears to be dedicated to building on the strengths of the program and moving it forward into a successful future.
Submitted by student on November 16, 2017

Poor... I am a past Saint Pat student. The school I attend presently is much larger, public and has problems like most schools. But never have I experienced anything quite like Saint Patrick's Catholic School. The Diocese of Raleigh needs to carefully look at the lack of curriculum content, faculty competency and leadership roles. It truly saddens me to know my friends that still remain there are being unfairly guided academically with a false sense of the Catholic faith. Praying every day....
Submitted by other on May 18, 2017

Unfortunately, the school and parish is presently lacking leadership. The interim principal has been seated for only one year and has managed to steer the moral and confidence into the ground. This has negitively impacted the students, faculty, and families. St Patrick Catholic School has sustained monumental damage from multiple complications colliding together at one time. The faculty is in true disarray and serious reorganization is impairative. The third grade has perpetually been a serious issue and requires a closer look into why families leave in second grade to possibly return in forth. This is problematic and damages student retention and the longevity of family comitment. Presently the tuition is extremely inflated for the expected outcome. St. Patrick Catholic School has such amazing potential. It truly saddens me to witness the amount of destruction that has been sustained. Mostly, the lack of caring for the good of the school. I pray that the new principal said to be coming in July 2017 will bring a new light to St Patrick Catholic School and the peace as well as the academic excellence will shine through once again.
Submitted by parent on June 28, 2016

There are so many reasons to NOT send your child/children to this school. First, the tuition rate is outrageous and the education received isn't worth the cost. Second, if you have a child going into 3rd grade, go to another school, any school but this one. The teacher for this grade is plain incompetent. Third, the principal has retired (finally) and there isn't a replacement in sight. These are only SOME of the many reasons to find another school for your child's education.
Submitted by parent on May 12, 2016

Teaches responsibility with a focus on community & responsibility. Strict, but caring. Parents are involved & friendly, and teachers care about the kids. We are a military family, and our transition to the schools in our new location has been easy because they were well prepared at St. Patrick.
Submitted by parent on November 07, 2015

I've had three children attend Saint Patrick. It's a fantastic school that challenges your child to learn and prepares them very well for high school and beyond. It's competitively priced with financial aide available. It has a diverse student population. I would recommend this school to anyone.
Submitted by parent on October 28, 2015

Ready to finish this school year. With all the people leaving I can't wait for the school year to end so we can move on. We won't be returning néxt year to this school.
Submitted by parent on October 15, 2015

Let me post this first and foremost to the person that said "it's for rich catholics" are you not aware that you can apply for a scholarship through the school so they cover the tuition? It IS also A PRIVATE SCHOOL which last time I remembered, was actually going to be pricey. Next, my husband and I are probably the youngest couple sending our toddler to the pre K and if we can budget and afford it, at our age in early 20s, then most can but if not do not complain about it. I wanted quality education for my child starting off very early and I've received that. I LOVE this school. I've never encountered the principal or anyone other staff being rude they've always been very nice and helpful. I recommend this school because it being a Catholic school yes majority of the teaching is based off of it. I just don't get how people are complaining when it's obviously a private religious school, what was expected anyways from the curriculum?
Submitted by other on April 10, 2015

Im a student and i absolutely love this school, they treat us fairly and kindly and the only really mean teacher i found was the after school teacher, but she's a volunteer. they teach a wide knowledge of relegion in the classes and mass and even payed to get a basicly destroyed area a brand new school with free lunches, the lab and computer lab are safe and great with some of the latest stuff. the teachers really get the idea in your head and will only get really mad once the students really act up. it is amazing. they treat students fairly with a equal number of respect and rarely have punished a group. although some things lack that is in it's own standards, im currently going to a different school and i left this one, compared to st.pat's the school im in with more staff and classes are garbage. also if your kid is sad about leaving good friends every year for another class, dont worry, there's only 1 class per grade with some of the best teachers i have ever had.
Submitted by parent on April 02, 2015

St Pats was the best we could find in the area for academics and safety when we moved here 5yrs ago. My children have attended every grade except 3rd. PreK was taught by Mrs. Adorjan, who is now the kindergarten teacher. My child loved her and would have kept her for every grade if possible. Mrs. Merrit was kindergarten and she was an amazing educator. My child learned more that year than I ever thought possible. 1st is still taught by Mrs Cummins who is perfect for 1st, fun, warm, and outgoing. 2nd went well also with Mrs. Shea who truely takes the time to get to know her students and always had time for me as a parent as well. 4th was rough for my older child, but that teacher is no longer there. The new 4th grade teacher is liked by all. From 5th up to 8th has been much better. My child went from below grade level on testing up to her first year of college. She is acedemically ready for anything now. Please note: The math teacher, Mrs. Berndt truely loves the children and will take the extra time and effort to help your child, all you have to do is ask. Thank you St Pats for all you did for my girls.
Submitted by parent on January 09, 2015

I would hope this school is more about teaching the kids about the catholic religion. Unfortunately it's not just for any Catholics but rich Catholics. Is that what Jesus taught you?