St Thomas Aquinas High School

2801 Southwest 12th Street

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312

11 Reviews

School District
Grade

9-12
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on March 10, 2023

We had an amazing experience with Saint Thomas Aquinas. We loved the school & Campus. Both my boys were graduated 2022 and 2023.
Submitted by parent on June 01, 2022

This school has great reputation for sports only and only if your student is a super star athlete otherwise you will ride the bench. If you want your student to be in a very active social scene with lots of parties and underage drinking this is the place. They are not super interested in morals or pushing you to the next level in education. We moved our student to another private school in the area and we are very happy.
Submitted by parent on May 24, 2022

I would recommend the school because I definitely do see the potential it has. It is a beautiful, safe campus, with a diverse student body, and the athletics are exceptionally well run. Having said that, the administration needs to consider revitalizing the faculty, perhaps retire some of the teachers who are relentlessly old school, do not understand athletes' demanding schedules, while they do not grade assignments for over 6 weeks at times. Some teachers grade for spelling, when their own is terrible. Set the example correctly with teachers who actually care. How are kids supposed to receive feedback when assignments are graded weeks late? Also, there is way way way too much testing at the expense of the students' mental health. Mid-terms and finals should be exempt from students who are already doing well. In a growing college test-optional environment, the emphasis should be on learning and finding out what students enjoy, and how they can contribute -- not on memorizing facts for a test only to forget them a week later. The administration can try to use its own time more efficiently, too. Some of the uniform rules are beyond ridiculous. Deans should have better things to do than check to see if someone is wearing a polo under an approved STA hoodie. Guidance counselors should be initiating meetings with the students more regularly, and not only when it is time to select a schedule.
Submitted by parent on May 03, 2022

The school only cares about their reputation to the expense of the students mental health . They Administration will turn their face the other way if it's in their interest.
Submitted by parent on August 13, 2021

Moving our kids from another known private school, we made the right decision. You don't get less just because you pay less. They have many good teacher. If you have your Honors class and AP's class, the number of student per class is not high. The communication between administration and parents are really good. Sometimes, I wish some teacher (mostly those that have been working there for a long time) respond faster to our email or updating grades ongoing and not waiting until the quarter is almost done for posting grades because it will be to late to help your child if he needs help.
Submitted by parent on January 31, 2020

They should do something to control the drug use and also the use of e-cigarettes.....they use it in the bathrooms like if it was a bar and nobody does anything about it
Submitted by parent on May 25, 2018

While enrolling our child in this school, we were initially excited in enabling our child to receive a more one on one learning experience due to smaller classes, but as time went on, we soon realized our child would have been better off in a public school. My sons' teacher ridiculed him frequently during class by putting him down and embarrassing him with her words and facial expressions in front of his classmates. She also taught my son that everyone goes to heaven as long as they are a good person, and that it doesn't matter if they don't believe in Jesus. This teacher has denied her inappropriate actions and teachings in front of her boss-the principal. And unfortunately, her boss has taken the word over our child's and disregarded our concerns as nonsense. This school calls my son a liar when we as parents know that when you ask your child, "What did you learn in school today?", and they respond, in ignorant detail, what I previously stated earlier, you know that your child had not lied. There are more issues with this school that would take me hours to explain, such as faculty rudeness and arrogance, but I hope that this would suffice to warn people about the unprofessionalism of several faculty members in this school. I'm not speaking about all just a few and it's unfortunate that the few can ruin a schools' reputation.
Submitted by parent on September 07, 2012

I moved my son from S. Plantation public schools to St. Thomas Aquinas and it's been the best decision I ever made. Public schools are too focused on FCATs and the kids don't learn anything, while at St. Thomas the teachers actually cover the curriculum. The administration and staff at St. Thomas are enthusiastic and have high expectations for the kids, something lacking in the public schools since accountability and high stakes testing derailed actual academic teaching. All staff, from janitors to teachers to administrators are the friendliest I have ever seen in a school. Students regularly are accepted at top universities nationwide. My older son graduated from public school and is now at the University of Florida. However, he was not at all prepared for his classes. I already see that my younger son will be much better prepared for college. Guidance help is virtually non-existent in public school, but counselors are always available at STA. The counselors do a much better job of leading kids through the college application process than the public school counselors who are overwhelmed with FCAT administration. STA tuition is the best deal in town.
Submitted by student on December 13, 2011

I attended this school but ended up transferring to a public school. Although my parents were unsure about the decision, we've realized it was the right one. I now attend the #1 university in Florida (#38 nationally) on an academic scholarship. I am succeeding in school and doing as well, if not better, academically and socially compared with my peers who attended STA and other private high schools. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON STA. SAVE YOUR MONEY FOR COLLEGE. School is what YOU make of it, you don't need to pay $13,000/yr to receive a good education. All STA cares about is their reputation and football team. Guidance is terrible, Theology classes are ridiculous, there are limited options for classes and electives, majority of the classrooms are outdated, ACADEMICS ARE OVERRATED. I received a more thorough, well-rounded education with more AP and elective options at a public school 10 minutes away from STA. I was proud to be a Raider, but it's definitely not worth the money or dealing with stuck up, spoiled, snobs everyday. 16 year olds shouldn't be driving new BMWs and Audis; the majority of students at STA need a serious reality check and would be lost in the real world.
Submitted by student on December 10, 2011

Although I'm still a freshman, I really like this school. The academics are good, there's a bit too much emphasis on athletics in my opinion, but I don't mind it too much seeing as the other students are generally laid back. One thing that I really don't like about this school is the music program. I want to do something in that area, but I don't want to be in band, so basically, if you're not into sports, don't expect to find a club too easily. Still, that's about it, and at the end of the day I'd still recommend coming/sending your kid here ok cool
Submitted by student on May 08, 2011

I am currently a student at STA. The academics are amazing and even though it can be really difficult at times, it prepares you for college. Unfortunately this school is too focused on it's football team to not focus on the other sports that they offer. Most of the other teams success is forgotten because of the football team. Everybody considers the theology department as a joke and the drama department does not receive enough support from the school directors. Drug use is also a problem and even though the school tries to deal with it by bringing security dogs on random days to check for drugs, that's not fixing the problem. The school needs improvement on it's campus because it's not fit to handle the heat in florida and the humidity. Academically it's amazing, and it prepares you for college but the other factors really diminish this school.