St Francis School

11000 West Highway 42

Goshen, KY 40026

8 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-12
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on December 12, 2019

Outstanding. I have a 3rd and 5th grader here and couldn't be happier.
Submitted by parent on December 10, 2019

This is our fifth year at SFS, and we love it. My oldest started in junior kindergarten, and her sisters both started in the preschool. Each summer they count down the days until they are back in school!Being transplants to Louisville, we did our due-diligence when deciding on a school for our kids. There are many solid choices out there, but what sets SFS aside for us is the school's focus on instilling a love of learning, and encouraging students to strive for academic excellence that may or may not fit the mold. In our experience, the teachers are excited about teaching. They integrate their own personal interests and expertise into the classroom experience. The end effect is that the kids gain genuine lessons, while also getting to personally know their teachers. Moreover, between the two campuses (the 60+acre Goshen campus, and the downtown location of the HS), the kids have plenty of room to grow and explore their interests in real-world settings. We love that our children often take their science classes outdoors, or are able to collect natural art supplies from the grounds. It is not uncommon for math and science teachers to coordinate with art and LASS teachers to engage in cross-topic lessons. Learning about money in math? No problem: let's learn more about presidents in LASS. Learning at SFS just makes sense. We also appreciate that the school cultivates a culture of understanding and celebrating differences--differences in appearance, in culture, in socioeconomics, in religion, political stance, sexual orientation, and physical ability. Our children are eager to share how our family does things differently, prefers different foods, celebrates different customs, etc. Even at their young age, our children realize that it's ok to hold different views from their classmates' (and their classmates' parents!), and that discourse and dialogue are essential to comprehensive learning.This is a great school!
Submitted by parent on November 10, 2018

There are some harsh and disturbing truths about St Francis that have been known for years. Don’t make the mistake of enrolling your children and personally finding these out as we did, but not before our children had to overcome serious errors in their educational management, unfortunately. First and most troubling, the St. Francis philosophy for ‘kids governing themselves’ allows for frequent unmitigated student conflict. Worst of all is when their ‘self-resolution’ fails to correct emotional harassment, physical bullying, theft and destruction of property (Yes, these things happen here, and not rarely, and, no, they don’t happen like this at other schools).^Without^ the guidance of authority figures, and without skilled administrative support or a formal compassion or honor-based curriculum. We’ve in fairness seen good harmony in ^some^ class groups and a true sense of responsibility on the part of some commendable teachers. HOWEVER, we’ve also seen the dreaded side of a school that would flat-out deny, or even counter-attack your child, to save face or save particular students or staff (follow their approach to the sexual harassment claims closely) You should never have your child in this position, no exceptions. Our children were not the only ones subjected to this kind of treatment. While we hope it’s rare, the administrative track record here is poor, and the lack of experience and educational background among the staff and leadership is a glaring deficiency. ASK THEM about this, their attrition rate, or just read other reviews.Compounding this problem is that St Francis is frankly a haven for children who do not flourish in formal school environments. A nice but naive ambition if the structure is not in place to address these kids socially and behaviorally (see above). An outright disaster if your child is caught in the middle with no advocate, and then met with denial by an ethically compromised administration.No general philosophical statement will change these facts - that, for $20,000/yr, St. Francis is, even on its best day, a private school that does not offer the safety, support, and curricular/extracurricular maturity - of any of the other area private schools in whose shadow it has always fallen.
Submitted by parent on June 23, 2018

My experience with this school was extremely disappointing! I am thrilled the parents of my grandson did not waste another year attending this school!
Submitted by parent on December 08, 2017

My child graduated from SFHS several years ago. She transferred in from a public school and we are grateful for her experience three years there . . . she developed as an independent intellectual and was well-prepared for college. She was not only allowed - she was encouraged - to be herself. The staff was not afraid to let her struggle and even fail but always with a safety net so the results were not irreparable. Not all the teachers were great but many were and several staff spent MANY hours helping her find her way. I wish we had known about the school sooner . . . I can imagine what 12 years would have done!
Submitted by parent on November 12, 2013

I have two children at St Francis and it's wonderful In many ways. I like the emphasis on the Arts. For the most part the teachers have been good. We Had a couple that were not performing as well as Expected and were replaced. Small class sizes are good and bad. They are Great academically but socially it's another story. It's very Cliquey if you don't act and dress like the Other girls and "follow the leader" you are not included This happens more so in middle school and varies From class to class. For the most part we've been happy but I would highly recommend Shadowing to see the class you will be in.
Submitted by parent on September 01, 2011

St. Francis School has been a challenging, supportive, nurturing, place for my children for the last 8 years. The students are respected as individuals, and are allowed to learn Independence and challenged to to dig deeper into subjects with full support of the excellent faculty. The faculty work extremely hard to ensure that each child is pushed to their potential. The curriculum schedule allows for music, art, PE, and humanities 2 or 3 times a week every week along with core subjects math, science, Language arts, social studies, and Spanish. The school educates the whole child and prepares them for their life ahead. The school also has one of the best healthy lunch offering to students which is included in tuition and recess everyday. After school programs include drama, sports, choir, piano lessons, art classes, chess, etc....something for everyone! The parent community is very welcoming and open to new families in the community. The school works hard to ensure that any child wanting to attend St. Francis School can do so as financial aid is available. My daughter had a drs. apt. and begged for it to go fast so she could go back to school....what more could you want?
Submitted by parent on March 31, 2011

My child spent several years at this school before transferring to another private school in the area. The decision to move our child was based on several factors; lack of extracurricular activities appropriate for our child, excessive emphasis on the school's green/sustainability plan, and an overall atmosphere of arrogance (e.g. No other school could possibly be as good as SFS). This atmosphere is largely attributable to the arrogance of the Head of School.