St Timothy Parish School

5400 Southwest 102nd Avenue

Miami, FL 33165

22 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on August 13, 2024

Good school. Teachers are nice and knowledgeable.
Submitted by parent on February 25, 2019

Every school has it's positives and negatives and can result in different experiences for different families. It's important to understand that any feedback on this link is subjective to the individual writing a review. While the actual academics are managed by the Archdiocese, the teachers at St. Timothy work very hard to make sure everyone is getting the attention they deserve. For children that need a lot more attention an focus, it may be difficult because of class sizes (same as every Archdiocese school, but larger than charter). The community at St. Timothy supersedes all expectations my family had before joining. Like all things- you get what you put in. If you invest your time in the school and church, your experience is wonderful because of just that- you experience a lot of great memories centered around school and church. If you choose to participate in the minimum and don't put as much effort into the school and church- your experience may not be as great as others. This isn't a St. Timothy "thing". It's a life "thing". You get what you get and can't get upset. There isn't a ton of money at the school compared to other Archdiocese schools. The families are humble and always willing to help each other out. Very grateful to call this school our home!!For the parent that wrote a review in March 2018: You are completely entitled to your opinion and I respect it, but I have to disagree. When there are only 6 spots on a sports team and a tryout is held (paying a fee usually comes with this anywhere in Miami), an infinite number of kids can tryout. When a job position is posted, 100+ candidates can apply for that one position. When only 6 slots are open in a school and 60 students apply- it's not called a racket. It's called competition- choosing the best individual for your team/company/school/etc. You don't just look at one aspect of a person like a test score or how many shots they average a game- you find the best overall fit for what you need at that time. In your case- another school was a better fit for your family, which will hopefully give you a great experience! :)
Submitted by parent on April 18, 2018

The school continues to improve in academics and the overall curriculum. There have been many positive changes starting with the learning center and throughout the elementary and middle school. The staff is very professional and always strive to address the needs of the students and families.
Submitted by parent on March 28, 2018

We were very excited to have our children attend St Timothy Parish School but soon realized that this place is centered around being part of a clique. We are full time parish members, attending mass on a regular basis and if you sit and observe closely, you can clearly see which parents run the school. All is centered around money and popularity. There are some parents that get a huge tuition discount for simply assisting in certain parish activities. In most cases, even a students acceptance into the school is measured solely on that family's "financial" contribution to the schools church. Our children passed the entrance exam but were denied entry. The overall explanation was that they only had 6 spots open and many factors weigh in, including the entrance exam, mass attendance, church contributions, and any current attending child's siblings. Apparently, they only had 6 openings for 6th grade but the school accepted over 60 applications. That is over 10k in non refundable fees. A heck of a racket if you ask us. When we met with the principal, Annie Seiglie, we had no clear understanding other than they were not accepted. Both of our children, according to the principal did excellent on the entrance exam but they take mass attendance, church contributions, time and talents donated to the church as a consideration. And with only 6 spots open, our 2 simply did not meet ALL of that criteria. Whem we sat to explain this to our little ones, our daughter quickly reacted and provided us with some info. It appears one of her friends was accepted to the school for the same grade level. A child who is in remedial English and math at her current school but somehow made it in. Turns out her uncle is a parish member and works the church carnival every year. And now we know how she was accepted. We believe a child should be accepted first on educational merit and not on being part of a clique or how much money you have contributed to your church. Needless to say, while we are disappointed with St. Timothy, both of our children were accepted into another Archdiocese school and we will be attending mass at their church.
Submitted by parent on November 02, 2017

I would say the atmosphere was much better the last 2 yrs bc there were less strict rules and the kids enjoyed their school and had a more positive attitude. The families are very united but things have gotten too authoritative. I hear more and more complaints on a daily basis from the parents.
Submitted by parent on August 15, 2017

Extremely family-oriented and nurturing environment. I have recommended our school to a number of friends and relatives.
Submitted by parent on September 27, 2016

Family environment..teachers and staff that really care. I can honestly say that my overall experience has been good. Communication and technology have increased since my children began years back. New leadership and counselor are helpful.
Submitted by parent on September 26, 2016

Everyone is very courteous here and I feel confident that my child is receiving a great catholic and academic education. A nice family environment.
Submitted by parent on April 22, 2016

What comes to mind to me when rating this school is the following: Let me tell you some examples. When the quarter ends, the grades they earn are never the same as the ones viewed on Edline, the grading website, which makes it very confusing. To add, the honor roll recognition list is emailed to parents more than a month after the semester ends, which leads me to believe that many parents at the school dispute their child''s grades. Also, is it a coincidence the children of most or all the teachers there always or almost always earn honor roll, HMMM. As far as the principal, I will make this short because I can write on and on. She is not approachable. She promises things and doesn't keep her word with the students. She doesn't even mention academics, only sticks to things pertaining to collecting money or religion related. I know it is a Catholic school, but education should come first. She worries about tardiness but yet doesn't care that the students aren't being taught at the level of the rest of the schools in the area, private and public. She doesn't answer emails in a timely manner. She micromanages everything in the school. The teachers seem miserable and lost. They are no longer motivated from what I can tell. There is a lack of activities in the school to promote teamwork and also for all students to come together as well as the parents. Only a select same few are always chosen as far as who participates. The middle school curriculum seems weak and does not challenge the students. The teachers do not seem to be well trained in the areas of common core in certain subjects and still stick to the old traditional ways of teaching which makes it boring for the students. In the parent handbook there were things addressed that parents agreed to and were promised by the school but yet things mentioned in it are not followed through. At the beginning of the school year the middle school students were introduced to a new teacher that taught Religion. He came from another private school. Apparently, this teacher had been in trouble in the past, but yet came to teach again at another school. There was word of something that occurred at the school with this same teacher this year and all of a sudden he was not there, my question, why was he there in the first place?
Submitted by parent on April 13, 2016

The Elementary/Middle School Academics curriculum has not been addressed or implemented all school (2015-2016) year. The Honor Roll guidelines are beyond ridiculous unless the student and/or parent are the teacher’s favorite friend/relative. There is a long gap of time between the end of the quarter/semester and when the report cards are received as well as Honor Roll recognition. In many instances, the grade last inputted by the teacher on Edline and the average shown does not match with the final grade on the report card. In a nine week quarter/semester many teachers won't post any grades for weeks … which does not allow a student room for improvement. This does not allow enough time for the student to raise his/her grades. As far as the I.T.B.S. testing there is no formal preparation given for this test. The curriculum does not seem to match the material cover in the test. The results of this test do not have any connection to how the student has been performing in his/her academic subjects in school. I could go on and on but I will leave room for another reviewer to continue. Overall, I am happy that the students are receiving an education and are strengthening there catholic faith but there is a lot of work to be done in comparison to the neighboring catholic school. Back in the days, St. Timothy Parish School was one of the best (probably top five) schools. I can no longer agree if they are number 10 they are very lucky.
Submitted by parent on August 19, 2014

good formation and excellent environment. Helps student s get into Lourdes and Belen. My daughter advanced dramatically compared to her previous school
Submitted by parent on August 19, 2014

EXCELLENT EDUCATION AND REALLY PREPARES STUDENTS FOR HIGH SCHOOL. LOVED BEING APART OF THIS SCHOOL AS A PARENT
Submitted by parent on August 19, 2014

Helps students excel academically and spiritually. Has really done wonders for my children. I highly recommend this school
Submitted by parent on August 19, 2014

Needs improve . but still is a very good educational school. Good parent involvement and education is good
Submitted by parent on August 19, 2014

Good enviroment for students. Has slacked in academics but the positive is there is a new principal and seems eager to bring back the St. Timothy of old.
Submitted by parent on August 19, 2014

Education is above average yet there is room for improvement. New Admin now at the school so lets see. Great school for my daughter and see an upside to the continued success their
Submitted by parent on August 19, 2014

Being a part of this school has helped develop our children. Its a good enviroment and education. It could be more strict with its admissions standards.
Submitted by parent on March 26, 2014

Extremely disappointed with the school. The principle could care less about meeting with parents. The only thing she cares about is cramming kids in a classroom. You would think that for the money one is paying, the classroom sizes would be smaller so that the teachers can dedicate more time. Unfortunately, that is not the case at St. Timothy. The teachers are so over their heads that you can see their tired faces when parents are picking up their children. What I found alarming was the number of teachers advising the parents that their child should get tested for some sort of ADD/ADHD. Just because the child doesn't grasp lessons as fast as other students doesn't mean there is a learning disability. Unfortunately we fell into the teachers trap and got our child tested. After spending $1,500 the psychologist told us there was nothing wrong with our son. I might as well enroll my son in a public school and save myself the money. We will be taking our child out of St. Timothy coming next school year and place him in a Catholic school that truly cares about the child's best interest. It is unfortunate because the community and head priest, Father Marin, are truly amazing.
Submitted by parent on March 26, 2014

Unfortunately, this school is not what it used to be. The attention you expect from teachers and faculty in a private school is non-existent. My child's classroom size at the beginning of the year was 37 and now its 36. The teachers are overwhelmed and the principle wants nothing to do with the parents.
Submitted by parent on March 22, 2014

I can honestly say that the administration as well as the current principal have deteriorated what used to be an amazing school. They have no communication skills and lack respect towards the community.