St. Mark School

912 COEUR D ALENE AVE

Los Angeles, CA 90291

23 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on April 12, 2024

I have 4 children and they have all gone through or are going through Saint Mark. We have experienced all of the change and turmoil that has taken place over the years. (I believe the Covid years should not be considered in a serious review of a school, but Saint Mark did its best, while weathering 3 principals in as many years). I attended catholic schools for 12 years, so I have realistic expectations for catholic schools. I have found Saint Mark, overall, to be a wonderful little gem in the heart of Venice. My kids have made wonderful friends (and so have my husband and I), they have thrived academically (incidentally, every boy that applied to Loyola HS this year was admitted, and every 8th grader is going to their first choice in high school), and have been gently formed in the catholic mission to be compassionate, conscientious citizens who strive for excellence and goodness. Like any school, your experience will only reflect what you put in as parents. This school thrives in its small but robust community - parents are encouraged to volunteer and participate throughout the year to make the school a success. It is through volunteering that we have made lifelong friends, but also got a better sense of how things work from the inside out - it takes a lot of well-meaning people to deliver a quality education to a child. The student body is diverse - I would say it accurately reflects the neighborhood it is in. My kids all have friends from multiple cultures, races, socio-economic backgrounds. I appreciate the complexities and difficulties that schools in our present day face. I know how hard it is to find and retain teachers and administrators. I hold masters degree in secondary education and a bachelors degree in English Literature. All of my children are excellent readers, and I attribute it to Saint Mark. My children feel challenged, engaged, and content. They are safe, happy, and have become critical thinkers. These things are the most I could hope for in a school. I am grateful for Mr. Bersin and his administration - he is fiercely protective of his teachers and is always available to problem-solve, and Father Albert, who does his best to lead with empathy and grace. We love Saint Mark, and feel lucky to be a part of its legacy.
Submitted by parent on January 22, 2024

This school is a gem and they take such good care of their students and staff. They have been a welcoming community and very transparent when it comes to everything our child is learning. This was a problem we experienced at our school prior, so we're so happy things have turned around. I like that they have great after school sports on offer like flag football, basketball and volleyball. This keeps the children challenged and able to develop better friendships outside the classroom. Mr Bersin was helpful in helping us integrate. I'm not sure why there would be negative reviews when it comes to this school as it's hard to find a happier group of children. They take pride in how they dress too and the older children look out for the younger. Good vibes, committed teachers & strong academics. We need more schools like this in LA.
Submitted by parent on November 11, 2023

Our child was always excited to attend the school, but we grew disappointed with the school in her last 2 years, post covid, when noticing that she barely had any homework to do. She was not given creative assignments, very little was required of her in terms of writing essays, team-based projects, math homework. She was underchallenged academically in her last year of school, so I hope that this has improved since she graduated last year.
Submitted by parent on November 06, 2023

We are so happy at St Mark school in Venice. The academics are excellent and in grade 5 they start the middle school program early with our child experiencing a number of different teachers for science, math, social studies, prepping them early. The team sports program is great with lots of after school activities on offer too. The family community is very welcoming and helped us transition with ease. The fall festival was amazing and many other fun activities for children like the lion Olympics a day of sports fun. Mr Bersin the principal is so hands on and is always around to sort out any problems and keep things moving in the right direction. Overall a well rounded school with many positives. Also love attending morning assembly and it’s easy to stay up to date with what’s going on. The children always look happy with a bright sense of energy.
Submitted by other on August 10, 2023

We had an appointment for a tour and screening in late July. Tim Bersin, the principal didn’t explain to us that after the tour we would have to wait to be “accepted” or denied before we could start the enrollment process. This was odd, because we had already filled out an application and gave them a $100 check, (non-refundable) for the application fee. We were led to believe that my child would be attending St. Mark’s. We were led to believe the last step was to tour the school and setup payment so we could enroll him. If we would have known they were going to take our $100 and never return our phone call and email after touring the school, then we would have NEVER looked at this school. During the 45 min tour the new vice principal had plenty of time to let us know that there was a process and that they don’t automatically accept kids ( unless it was just our child that they didn’t accept). At the end of the tour we spent 15 minutes with the front desk secretary and vice principal looking at some used uniforms to take home so my son could try them out for size. As I was about to collect the Venmo information for the school so I could pay them for the uniforms, the vice principal said, “ It may be better to wait until you’re accepted to the school before purchasing any uniforms.” My mom and I looked at each other incredibly confused. We didn’t say anything because I don’t think we knew what to say. I felt pretty insulted considering the secretary at the front desk told us the TK had ample space and they really needed kids to fill the class. I emailed Tim Bersin as soon as we left the school. Tim wasn’t present on the tour because he was on vacation. In the email I told Tim what a beautiful school St Mark’s was and we were really eager to find out if my child would be accepted or not. I also told him I wasn’t aware that my child could either be accepted or denied and asked if he could further explain the process. Tim Bersin never bother to return my email with an explanation. Thankfully, we were able to get my son into an amazing school and we were very glad it was not St Mark’s. After a month with no response from the principal I decided to give the front desk a call and let them know what I thought about their services. Not surprisingly, they had nothing to say and were very unapologetic. Typical with people who aren’t living in the real world. I wouldn’t recommend this school to anyone. Horrible people.
Submitted by parent on May 08, 2023

We are new to St. Mark in the last year, and we have found it to be a wonderful community where our son is thriving, both academically, socially, and morally. His Kindergarten teacher, Lindsey Blomberg, is nothing short of amazing. She finds creative ways to keep the kids engaged, instills confidence in them, and creates an excitement about learning. I am aware that before we arrived at St. Mark, there was some turnover and staff changes which gave us some initial pause. However, new Principal Tim Bersin has impressed us since day one. It is evident he cares about the children, parent involvement, and academics. He definitely appears here to stay and has a lot of great plans for this school to grow and flourish. Given the state of Venice these days, I am always nervous about safety; however, the on-site security team gives us peace of mind. All and all, we are very happy with St. Mark!
Submitted by parent on February 21, 2023

We have been at St Mark for many years. It has and continues to be a very unique amazing school that we feel very lucky to be a part of its incredible community. Every school has its ups and downs and we had a principal turnover for many reasons, before and during Covid. Even with the distraction, they nailed online learning which was extremely difficult. Our latest great Principal is very dedicated, passionate, energetic, forward thinking and loving. I think we are on another successful fluid path with this current leadership with our supportive Pastor. And I can promise you that there is no other school community like this one in the Los Angeles area. 99% of the 8th graders go on to their school of choice, most being College Prep schools and were prepared and ready. Private High Schools our kids have gone to the last 2 years (Loyola, Marymount, Marlborough, Notre Dame Academy, Notre Dame High School, Harvard Westlake, Windward, Pacifica, St Monica Prep and Vista Mar) Los Angeles can be a hard city to raise a child. No matter your faith, you feel welcome and safe at St Mark.
Submitted by parent on August 22, 2022

Was hoping to find a welcoming community and solid academic program at this school, but unfortunately we found the opposite with both. Parent community is very cliquey and especially unwelcoming to minority families or anyone who might have different points of view. Principal and staff turnover is unusually high and my child was often bored and uninspired in the classroom as she didn't really learn much. Maybe the newest principal will be able to turn things around.
Submitted by parent on July 29, 2022

What was once the very best of elementary/middle school choices has deteriorated since the loss of two wonderful Principals. Now again, there is Principal turnover. Hope the school can return to the growth and moment it had in prior years.
Submitted by parent on March 26, 2022

There has been 4 principals in the last 3 years and a high possibility of a 5th principal starting in fall. With this much turnover, it is difficult to form a solid curriculum and things often fall through the cracks. And several new teachers came in this year, some of which had zero experience and it shows. If you are lucky to have a teacher that has been there through it all, you are in good hands, but there are very few of them left.And there is no support for learning differences- if your child is bright and needs a challenge, they will not accommodate but instead teach to the lowest level in the class.
Submitted by parent on January 30, 2022

My kids were not challenged at this school and the constant turnover of teachers and principals has really taken a toll on the quality of education here. There also wasn’t a lot of transparency during covid, which was troubling. There is a vocal group of parents who are unwelcoming to different points of view and any new families that begin attending St Mark. There also isn’t a lot of diversity in the student body so if that is something you value, SMS might not be the best fit. The office support staff, art and science teachers are amazing. Unfortunately, that isn’t enough to overcome the ever increasing deficits the school suffers from.
Submitted by parent on August 13, 2018

Without the principle and the great staff of teachers, I may have lost my daughter's interest in learning. She was bullied in the public school we were in where there wasn't compassion from the students or the teachers. We both found a community and a school. The small campus allowed her to know all the students and not get lost in the crowd.
Submitted by parent on June 05, 2018

We are very happy dropping our kids off to school each day. Very blessed to be there
Submitted by parent on September 19, 2017

We relocated from Chicago when our kids were going into 2nd grade (this is 3 years ago). We toured 5 schools on the westside and that includes one in Hancock Park. St. Marks blew them all away on every level. It was the hidden gem we were looking for and we are so incredibly glad we found it - and our kids feel the exact same way! The atmosphere, the teachers and staff, the curriculum, the church and pastor and the community - wow - we couldn't be happier!
Submitted by parent on July 05, 2016

I have three children who have attended St. Mark. One is now in high school, the second just graduated and the third will be in 7th grade and we couldn't be happier with the school. The teachers are caring, knowledgeable and innovative. My children have been excited to go the school every morning, which is not always the case. The principal is outstanding - forward-thinking, involved, inspiring and knows the name of every child in the school. My oldest tested into several honors classes for high school, which tells me how prepared she was by St. Mark. I'm confident my son starting high school will excel, coming from such a wonderful school. It's a community that feels like a big family and we are so lucky to be part of it. I can't recommend it highly enough.
Submitted by student on June 15, 2016

There is an ongoing problem with bullying an students making racial insults. For instance one student told me that "I would get a weave because I am black" I finally gained the confidence to confront my principal and she told me that it was not the schools responsibility and that it happened too long ago (It happened a week before I complained) At this point I did not feel safe or protected by my school. Also my sister that at the time was a fifth grader ( she is now a sixth grader) was called a gorilla by a students parent. The principal responded to my mom by saying "Oh you know she's French you know how they are" My mom was infuriated since it was such a slap in the face. My sister eventually had enough after a child favored by the administration called her fat and said that "he hopes she dies" The school did nothing about it and my sister left the school. So unless you want to be cleaning food off your child's clothes everyday because someone threw it at them or unless you want you child to be taunted with racial slurs I do not recommend this school at all.
Submitted by other on June 08, 2016

Terrible math program, high teacher turnover and a principal who doesn't communicate with parents regarding staff changes. Many of the teachers seem unhappy which in turn create an unhappy environment for the children. We left after two years because if this.
Submitted by parent on October 20, 2015

I have 2 kids at this school and have been part of this community for the last 3 years, we could not be happier. The Principal has made huge changes and is striving to continue to make this the best Elementary School on the West Side. The faculty are all committed to providing my kids with best educational experience ever. When every Faculty Member from TK to 8th Grade knows my kids names, I know they are interested, committed and they care. We helped plant 40+ trees this past weekend on the first part of the transformation of this campus and water reclamation project by providing shade, create habitat for birds and butterflies, reduces our energy consumption and creates science learning opportunities.”with features to help increase the learning experience highlighting nature. This is such a wonderful place, we are so happy for our kids
Submitted by parent on October 19, 2015

We joined St. Mark 7 years ago, when our oldest son started Kindergarten and we have nothing but great things to say about the school. Mary Ann McQueen the principal, is a strong and talented leader. We love the sense of community and the diversity. It is amazing to see how the kids interact with each other as a real family, the older kids know the younger ones by name, and there is a feeling of brotherhood all around. The Greening and Water Reclamation project that has been going on during the past months is making the school unique in the West side, and the first phase culminated this weekend with a Tree Fest event, where parents, students, faculty, and other community volunteers worked together planting trees around the school. It was inspiring seeing everyone in action! We are very proud to be part of St. Mark!
Submitted by other on October 19, 2015

My wife and I moved our daughters over to St. Marks two years ago. The school is amazing. The teachers are engaging and challenging for the students with innovative teaching. But they also care about the students as individuals. And, the principal is an amazing leader who has a vision that is embraced by the faculty and parents. Great community and learning environment for kids!!!