Saint Joseph Catholic School

127 North Howes Street

Fort Collins, CO 80521

35 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-8
Type

private

Find Homes for Sale in this School Zone

Reviews

Submitted by parent on February 15, 2023

After a disappointing experience at public school, I took a tour of St. Joseph Catholic School. I was so pleased with what I saw that I enrolled my daughter that day. That was eight years ago, and I have absolutely no regrets. The St. Joseph Catholic School is a truly loving place where our Catholic Christian faith is put into action. The principal and teachers support me in my responsibility to educate my children in the ways of our faith. My children are free to express their love for God through prayer and celebration of the sacraments. Their education explains how God is present in everything around them. The staff is challenging my children to use all of their God-given gifts and preparing them for high school and beyond through academic excellence, participation in service programs and recognition and reinforcement of Christian virtues. I would not send my children anywhere else!
Submitted by parent on October 02, 2022

Our children have thrived since transferring to this school. The school coursework can be demanding at times in our experience coming from a PSD charter, but the school has been extremely supportive. Our oldest adapted rather quickly. Our youngest was not behind his peers at his old school, not sure if other kids advanced more in the summer, or if St Joe’s kindergarten teacher is just a superstar, but he had some catching up to do after transferring, but the school provided reading resources to ensure he caught up to the same level as his peers at the new school.Our kids actually come home wanting to tell us about their day, almost on a daily basis, which is new for them. We feel connected to a community. The principal is a parent who has kids currently at the school and has been an extremely effective leader. Weekly communication from the school through email newsletters and text reminders makes sure we’re appraised to what’s going on in our kids lives.The school also focuses on developing the whole child, not just on academics but ensuring children who leave the program, love their neighbor, and have high moral standards. Ultimately, switching was a difficult decision for our family. But choosing Saint Joe’s was one of the best decisions we’ve made for our kids.
Submitted by parent on November 11, 2020

We have been at Saint Joe’s for 6 years. We love the community atmosphere, focus on Jesus, academics, teachers, and character building. The kids learn not only academics, but character traits that will serve them for a lifetime to come. We are so happy there and recommend it to everyone!
Submitted by parent on August 26, 2020

We were hoping Saint Joe's was going to be the perfect school for our children! After five years of experience in the school, we are terribly disappointed and searching for alternatives. While every school has strengths and consideration, Saint Joe's isn't the school for our family. The primarily areas were we are not aligned are three fold. First, the curriculum is, at best, average. The school utilizes basic "common core" material supplemented with a religion text book. Second, Saint Joe's doesn't have a belief in the role of parent involvement in their child's education. Simply, your role in your child's education is to drop them off/pick up, sign a folder of papers once a week, and donate money. Finally, the values of some (no all) of the teachers, school administrators, and PTA have a focus on speaking negatively about other families, students, and teachers, rather then ensuring an exceptional education. We have a difficult time knowing our children are being educated by some who would prefer to gossip then create strong partnerships.
Submitted by parent on April 08, 2020

Sadly, I wouldn't recommend Saint Joseph's school. While there is good things to say about the focus on Catholic Faith, everything else is lacking. It is likely the financial constraints of the school don't allow it to invest in teacher development, extra extracurricular activities, updated curriculum, and much more. If you are interested Saint Joe's, I would ask questions and compare it with other local schools. The areas to focus on: (1) staff turnover in extracurricular activities (Spanish, music, and PE), (2) assessments to ensure students are keeping up with their grade and how these are shared with parents, (3) budget shortfalls and it's impact on investing in students, (4) how teachers are assessed to ensure effective teaching practices, and (5) the school philosophy on partnering with families and parent feedback.
Submitted by parent on November 04, 2018

This is our 10th year at St. Joseph's and we have 3 kids that have been in the preschool program all the way to 8th grade. We love all the teachers and staff! They are great teachers who love what they do and love the children. They know and respect that we have chosen to send our children to them and one of the teachers signs her weekly newsletters with "Thank you for sharing your children with me!". Administration is open to feedback and concerns and does their best to make decisions that are best for the students. St. Joseph's is a Christ-centered school that infuses the faith into all of the school subjects. Students enjoy weekly all-school Mass, weekly adoration, daily prayer, daily religion class, and even monthly visits from area clergy. In Middle School, they are prepared for High School surrounded by a staff that knows each one of the students personally. The Middle School staff meet regularly and discuss the students overall health at St. Joseph's. During the formative middle school years, your child can discover who they are and what their talents are in a safe environment. We love this school!
Submitted by parent on November 03, 2018

Excellent school for my four children. I was a parent for 19 years there and I couldn't be happier. A few obvious disgruntled parents on this sight but hundreds and hundreds of very happy and content children and families have been educated at Saint Joseph Catholic School! I highly recommend checking it out!!!
Submitted by parent on April 13, 2017

I attended this school K-6 when it only went up to 6th grade. I believe it was the foundation for the academic path I ended up pursuing (IB graduate, BS, Doctorate) in that it taught me the importance of good study habits and how sometimes hard work is necessary for positive results. You are not always handed everything you want. It was not always easy and I did have more homework than my friends that went to public schools, but I am glad I went. The classes are small and and all the faculty/staff learn all the children's names, even before they are in their class. There is a lot of love in that school. When we moved back to Ft. Collins I didn't even look at any other schools. My kids went right to St. Joe's and love it.
Submitted by other on April 05, 2017

I was a student at Saint Joseph's and it was a horrible experience. The class size was super small and the people were catty and mean. The girls were mean and would turn their backs against you. The teachers didn't care about you, only one of my teachers were somewhat decent. The lack of volunteer work was significant. The school hid behind closed doors and the parents could not come in and see what their kids are doing, or volunteer in classrooms. It used to not be like this when I was in kindergarten and first grade, but recently Saint Josephs has been falling apart. The education is decent. Common core is used and we only read out of a textbook for reading, not classics and hard text works. I moved schools and have been much happier. All in all, Saint Josephs is a decent school, but I would strongly reconsider choosing this school for your child. There are much better catholic/ Christian schools in the area that are better.
Submitted by other on March 12, 2017

Saint Joseph's is the absolute best school for children and their families. The teachers and staff truly care about each child, the parents and children are warm and inviting and the education they receive is superb. The whole child is developed in ways that no other school in Fort Collins can provide because St. Joseph's provides a faith-based education. It makes all the difference. They are taught to be respectful, loving and responsible. I can't say enough about this wonderful school, you should come see for yourself!
Submitted by other on March 06, 2017

Caring teachers, dedicated to top notch curriculums and best practices, committed to faith formation and providing a loving community. We love it here!
Submitted by other on March 03, 2017

We love it here! Exceptional education, phenomenal staff, kind loving environment. This school develops the whole child, emotionally, spiritually, mentally, intellectually, even physically. It's a community, not just a school.
Submitted by parent on September 15, 2016

This is our 11th year at Saint Joseph. Having the perspective of older kids who graduated from St. Joe's and went on to do very well in high school and college; we are confident that the faith formation, community and academic standards paved the way for their success. My older ones looks so fondly on those years and visit their younger siblings and say hello to past teachers whenever they get a chance. What St. Joe's lacks in bells and whistles it more than makes up for in preparing young hearts and minds-we're so grateful for this place.
Submitted by parent on September 09, 2016

After having quite a few disappointing experiences with the public schools we put 3 of our children at ST. Joseph's and are very happy with the love and caring they have for all the children in their care. It is obvious they look at the whole child(mind, body, and soul) , rather than being guided and pressured by standards that do not always have the best interest of our children in mind.
Submitted by parent on September 01, 2016

This is my daughter's 2nd year at St. Joe's. I feel truly blessed that we found St. Joe's after a very disappointing experience at public school. The kindergarten curriculum here was fun yet challenging for her. She wasn't learning anything in the public school kindergarten class. The curriculum and schedules are given to parents during the 2nd week of school at "Back-To-School-Night", so we know EXACTLY what is going on in the classrooms. Volunteering is strongly encouraged!! In fact, there are three volunteer coordinators who made it very clear that this school thrives with parental assistance! Although some teachers are new, my daughter's teachers have 12 & 19 years of experience. The rosters at the beginning of the year showed between 14-22 children in most classes with the exception of 29 in 3rd grade and 36 in pre-k (half of which are morning only). The front office staff is exceptionally competent and helpful. I couldn't believe some of the negative reviews I read (which I believe were dated 2+ years ago). Perhaps there have been improvements recently. I do know that we have a new Academic Interventionist to work with students and consult with parents. She has 36 years of teaching experience. The discipline and faith formation my daughter is receiving are exceptional. I'm certain my children will be at St. Joe's for their entire elementary school careers. Our family adores this school!
Submitted by parent on August 31, 2016

Both my children attend St. Joseph and have been enrolled since they were 3 years old. My favorite thing about the school is how it not only prepares kids academically but how it helps to grow and nurture a moral character that will last a lifetime.
Submitted by parent on May 13, 2015

We love this school. We, parents, both have masters degrees, in medicine and law. I am from Europe, mhusband lived in Latin America and in Europe. So we quite well able to compare educational options at different states. countries. And again, we love this school. At the moment, its our second year, and the older children are finishing 1st and Pre-K grades. Our youngest will go to Preschool starting this fall and is very exited about it since she know about the school and visit it often with her older siblings. The school has skilled, hard-working, responsible teachers who love what they do and who have a warm heart. There are teachers who work at St.Joseph 20, 15 years... For me it means commitment and great working environment. The Art and Music programs are excellent - the student excel a lot! There is attention to physical development, volleyball and basketball teams, recess outside. The administrative staff is very helpful- I personally was asking 1 mln questions and I was always helped. Of course, the school is for learning. And St.Joseph in 12% among the whole NATION. The students sucess is taking seriosly and hard work is must.
Submitted by parent on September 12, 2014

We have been at St. Joseph for over 10 years and are very pleased with the faith life and education. The middle school has been an especially good place for our older children. They were well prepared for high school.
Submitted by parent on August 27, 2014

LOVE THIS SCHOOL! I could not ask for a better place to send my children!!!!!!
Submitted by parent on August 27, 2014

My 3 children have attended Saint Joseph's since their preschool years. I have been very happy with our experience at Saint Joseph's! My children are challenged academically on a daily basis and are encouraged each and every day to live out their faith. There is an amazing mix of teachers from the ones who have passionately been a part of the school staff for many many years to the newer, very enthusiastic teachers. My children have always been in a classroom where they thrive! Saint Joseph's offers endless volunteer opportunities, therefore parents can be as involved or as uninvolved as they wish to be. When I drop my 3 children off at Saint Joseph's, I know that I am leaving them in the care of teachers and staff who love and care about them and our family...what a wonderful blessing for a mother! I would highly recommend Saint Joseph School!!