St. Francis Cathedral School

528 Main Street

Metuchen, NJ 08840

16 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by other on February 06, 2025

Bad school and ugly and boring inside
Submitted by parent on June 12, 2023

This school is average at most in my opinion. It represented a half decent alternative to public school for us so we went with it. I get the feeling that teachers tend to play favorites, its whom you know. If we are not part of the click, our children will not catch a break here. They brag about it being a blue ribbon school but, the quality has declined over the years. I am finding from my kids that in their classes teachers just send kids to read their online books, resources, take countless tests and quizzes. Would be nice if many of the teachers there actually spent more time teaching interactively in the classroom. Again, that is my observations and opinions, this school has a lot of cheerleaders that will be all over my post and attacking it, staunchly defending the school, and they can do so - as that will be their choice and opinion.
Submitted by other on September 01, 2022

I used to be a student at St. Francis (I went here since Pre-K and graduated in 2022, so 10 years) and although I had some really great teachers (especially my first and third grade teachers) the education especially in middle school is not that great. In 8th grade math we were promised calculators after a week of the teacher teaching us and we had not been given permission to use calculators for the entire year. 8th grade religion should be changed to debate class because all we did was debate, especially when it came to the handbook. The current religion teacher also believes that birth control is a sin and consistently talks to the 8th graders about her dating life so that’s something to keep in mind. Going back to the handbook, it’s extremely outdated (girls can’t wear makeup, have nail polish, and cannot wear most jewelry) and boys cannot have “long hair”. Onto the mental health system at my school: we do not have a proper counselor (and if we do it was not mentioned publicly or on the website) when you had a fight with another student or something along those lines you were told to go to your pier mediators (who were 8th graders) with the person you told on and they’d listen to both your sides of the story, give you advice, and move on with their and your day. If you want your kids kindergarten and above to play on a normal playground at recess prepare to be disappointed because kids K to 8 play in the Church parking lot at recess and sometimes will not even be allowed outside for recess due to cars being parked there for Church. This review may seem a little mean but this is my honest review based on my personal experiences. And to any parents who may be reading this: I know I’m young and that may drive you away from my review but please, read my review and think about if you really wanna send your kids here.
Submitted by parent on September 13, 2021

I cannot say enough good things about SFCS. My daughter has been there for a few years now and I honestly have zero complaints. Mrs. Major is an amazing leader of the school, she is very approachable, always responds in a timely manner to address issues - making her very available to parents, and is front and center each morning to greet the students.. Last year when most public schools around us were closed, SFCS was open and fully functioning and had an action plan for any bumps in the road. My daughter has had great teachers so far, they have been caring, kind, and exceeded my educational expectations. Their curriculum exceeds what public schools are doing in our town, I know this because we have friends the same age and grade in town.
Submitted by other on December 28, 2020

My sister and I attended this school until the 5th grade, and I only have negative things to say about the staff and overall experience of this "school". With all of the bullying, favoritism, and horrible behavior that came from the teachers I am surprised that this facility is still running today. When I made the switch to public school, it opened my eyes to some of the horrible things that went on behind the scenes. The school's curriculum is extremely lacking and outdated, and most teachers are unhelpful to students who are struggling or behind. I will never understand how some of the teachers at this school pick on the students the way they do and feel good about themselves. This facility drains the individuality and passion out of it's students and leaves them with anxiety, stress, and a lack of confidence.
Submitted by parent on December 21, 2020

This school is a Blue Ribbon school. The loving community and caring teachers are all about the kids. My children were well-prepared for high school and one in high school now is flourishing. That's really what we want as parents: a happy, safe place to learn and make friends, while preparing for high school. Mission accomplished.
Submitted by parent on November 16, 2017

We currently have one child enrolled and two who have already graduated. If I were to sum up our experience here I could just say that both of my kids who have graduated are on the President's Honor Roll at St. Joe's. The math and language arts program at SFCS is exceptional. The administration and staff are dedicated and approachable. This is not a huge school so individual attention is paid to each student. Terra Nova scores were in the 85th percentile last year and the school was just awarded the National Blue Ribbon by the Department of Education. Technology is paramount. There are iPads, netbooks, 3d printers, state of the art computer lab and much more available to the kids. The library has close to 14k books. Parent involvement is encouraged and welcomed. There is a sense of community that cannot be overlooked. Yes, there are not a ton of sports programs offered but there IS a track program in the spring that many kids participate in and a stellar basketball program during the fall. It was one of the best decisions my husband and I ever made.
Submitted by other on June 05, 2017

Extremely loving environment with cutting edge technology and great teachers. What more could we ask for? This school is ALL about the well being of the children blessed to attend St. Francis Cathedral School. Would not change a thing and would not consider changing schools EVER.
Submitted by parent on November 07, 2014

Saw some posts below on the community.. I have to speak up here and agree wholeheartedly that I know of no school with a more caring community than St. Francis Cathedral School. It is as if the parents, students, teachers, and principal are all family. The longer you're there, the more you recognize how different this school is from all others. Academically, it is excellent with all the technological bells and whistles. There are kids that go on to prestigious high schools such as Regis, Mount St. Mary's, etc with several afterwards attending Ivy League schools. However, it's that sense of every kid mattering, that sets this school far apart from all others. Extremely happy and blessed to be a part of the loving family environment at St. Francis Cathedral School.
Submitted by parent on September 24, 2014

We love St. Francis Cathedral School! The teachers and administration genuinely care about the well-being of the students, not only in school, but as children. I can honestly say that it doesn't matter what teacher you get. They're all wonderful teachers. We've had most and have never been disappointed. Mrs. Stevens, the principal, is very serious about offering a loving but highly advanced educational environment to the kids. Our Catholic faith, languages, technology (iPads instead of text books, Smart boards in all the classrooms), art, music (piano, guitar, flute, drums, etc) are all taught in addition to the classic studies. Track, basketball, chorus, aftercare, special speech classes (for lisps or light speech impediments) are offered for all who need it. Best of all the children are safe and all cared for. The students always seem so happy and seem to do better than all the local schools.
Submitted by parent on May 01, 2013

Absolutely love this school. Excellent teachers with a challenging curriculum in a loving, family-type atmosphere. The Principal (Mrs. Stevens) is a lovely person with high qualifications. It's so obvious to see the love that she has for kids. Love the prayers that they learn too. However, we have many students who are not Catholic because of the discipline, structure, and balance. The school has a wonderful feel of familiarity. We are truly blessed to send our kids to St. Francis.
Submitted by parent on February 07, 2013

My experience so far has only been with pre K. I must say, i am very impressed with my childs learning experience. She is reading and writing. She learns great prayers and cute songs. There is lots of fun for her, and an appropriate amount of disipline. They have a large class, but the teacher and aide seem to handle all the children well. My daughter has recieved plenty of one on one attention. My plan is to continue my daughters education at St Francis. I am hoping her future experience will be just as good.
Submitted by other on October 19, 2012

This school is okay. All the teachers I've had are awful though! I came in when I was going into 4th grade. I'm not posting any names, but I was in 4B. I didn't like that teacher, but thinking back from today she would be easier now that I'm a little older. I absolutely HATED 5th grade. I was in 5B. Worst year EVER. All my teachers (except for my current one) were bullies. In 4B, a teacher PUSHED me because I forgot my homework. I'm a talented artist and so I draw in my free time. Well, in 5th grade, the teacher was searching through my backpack to search through my folder because I forgot something at school and saw one of my drawings. I was at recess when this happened, and so when I came back, she made me come to her desk and then yelled(in front of everyone), "So, this is what you do instead of your homework?!?", and held up one of my favorite drawings. Then she told me to get the trash can from across the room. So I went over and picked it up and brought it over and while I was walking back to her desk, she crumpled it in front of my face and then threw it in. I came home crying for a long time. She was terrible. In 6th, the teacher picked favorites. Middle school is bad too.
Submitted by other on February 16, 2012

all i can say is that the middle school is TERRIBLE. Nasty, unhappy teachers who use favoritetism and have no compassion. And the principal won't to do anything about it. The only thing i can say i really like, is the new vice principal. Shes great. I wish she was the pricipal. But i have no clue why some people ga e thos school 5 stars...their kids must be the favorites of the class.
Submitted by other on November 19, 2010

I am so glad to see that we are not the only family having trouble. My nephew started there last year and it was a disaster. His parents reluctantly enrolled him again this year - what a mistake they have been kicking themselves over every day since. He's in tears all the time and there is no help coming from anywhere. We can't wait until this year is over and we can go somewhere else.
Submitted by parent on November 10, 2010

When we started St Francis, we were very impressed; however, our opinion has deteriorated each and every year. While the overall environment is nice, there are more than a handful of teachers that are very low quality. This problem continues and worsens due to the complete lack of leadership from Mrs. Stevens the principal. Favoritism and yes, bullying, from the staff is running rampant and since there is no administrative control - it is ruining the school. St. Francis needs a change of control. Strong leadership will weed out the losers and put the school back on track. Unfortunately, I don't see this happening anytime soon.