St. Joseph Catholic

1120 Miramonte Avenue

Mountain View, CA 94040

24 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK, K-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on January 18, 2020

It has been overall a very positive experience. This school has a very strong sense of community, newcomers are welcomed openly. Class sizes are good and the staff is very caring.good extra curricular activities and super extended care option. Older kids watch out for the younger ones.
Submitted by parent on November 03, 2019

I would give my experience at St Joseph a 9 out of 10. We had some parents last year that were disenchanted with the idea of needing to put in the work to keep our school great, and they weighed us down a bit. So glad that we’ve had a fresh start this year, now that those families are gone. We’ve got a great community now!
Submitted by parent on July 09, 2019

Horrible, horrible, horrible. The staff is unqualified and admin is downright awful. I'm so glad I pulled my child out of this school.
Submitted by student on January 03, 2018

Great school to go to teachers are nice.
Submitted by parent on November 26, 2017

The principal and the staff seem so kind and nurturing to the children. The environment is great. small. We however are disappointed how academically that this school is not strong. When we did research last year for schools and looked at the performance between the different catholic schools in the bay area, Resurrection was first, St. Clare was the second I think.. and Queen of Anne, and St. Joseph was the last one. However, the class sizes, the campus and the environment and things we noticed during the visit, we thought st. joseph will be better. That we will need to work extra on the side with the kids. We did notice our kids performance going down. No school will address all needs. It just depends on the priority for each family. The children are happy here for now. However, not sure if we will stay here until 8th grade. Also, I wish people / reviews prepared us with the amount of fund raising requirements that come every Tuesday so we could prepare financially. While the school is clear upfront that certain amount of payment per family is required a year, the amount and the request that comes in weekly surpasses the amount that was agreed upon. Just be prepared for weekly fund raising...$50 here, $35 there, $100 here $70 there.. when it's every week without fail, it adds up at the end of the year. So does the extended care with a lot of early day releases, etc. Just trying to share information with other families that I didn't see when we joined or did our research. Over all the school is ok. Environment, the large yard, school events and the staff are great.
Submitted by parent on August 05, 2014

My son attended this school from 2011-2013 during middle school.This school, by far, was the best school my child has gone too. His grades improved, he was constantly engaged and learned the importance of volunteering. I only wished that we could have stayed longer. We are a military family and move frequently and this school made my sons adjustment to a new environment better. The principle, teachers and students were very welcoming. I highly recommend this school.
Submitted by other on June 30, 2014

i am a student that has been attending this school for 4 years. in my 4 years it has been the experience of a lifetime. as for all those negative reviews, dont even pay attention to those. this is the best school you could ever attend. the teachers DO NOT show favoritism towards any student. God forbid there was any bullying, the principal would be on it right away. she usually talks about it during wednesday assembly to get her point across, but if it only involves one class she talks to them privately. the teachers are amazing, and help prep the middle schoolers for high school. they also have a co-ed spirit squad in which i was in, and it was a grest experience. i could write a whole novel on how great this school is, but i dont have enough in this space. overall this is an amazing, bully free, friendship building, caring community, and im glad im a part of it.
Submitted by other on November 07, 2013

I am a former student from this school who attended school here for 6 years. The elementary school was great however, the middle school was unsatisfactory. I find that favoritism was a huge part of this school especially with the middle school teachers. This was seen actively in the classroom. For a small school you would believe there was attention for the individual student. There was not anything like that. Many of the middle school teachers were not approachable nor helpful. From what I've heard the the three good teachers left the school, I don't blame them. The curriculum is lax and repetitive. It is unchallengeable and traditional. It is not project based simply on memorization, Bullying and loose enforcement of the rules was a prominent factor that was being played in the school. There were severe cases of bullying, cyber, physical, and verbal that should of had severe punishments and even suspension. However, nothing was ever done and there was no punishments. It was easy to get away with breaking the rules if you were a teacher's favorite. One of my teachers allowed her favorites to drink tea in class, wear short skirts, and prominent makeup that was against the rules.
Submitted by other on August 27, 2013

St. Joseph Catholic School is the most nurturing environment for elementary school age children and adolescents in Mountain View.
Submitted by parent on July 14, 2013

I have been very impressed with the entire expereince my children have had at Saint Joseph, not only did my oldest daughter graduate and move on to Saint Francis, but she was completely prepared emotionally and scholastically to compete in the Saint Francis College prep school environment. My youngest daughter is on track for the same expereince including utilizing all of the advanced technology provided, she is excited about the afterschool work through the mathletics and raz kids programs. I have the choice to send my youngest to other schools, but the one class per grade level approach allows for her to have friends for life. This support is critical and another important aspect of Saint Joseph. I highly recomend Saint Joseph for parents looking for a community, advancing technology and good acedemics.
Submitted by parent on November 16, 2012

Hands down this is the best Catholic School in the entire diocese! My two children have attended since kindergarten and we love the community. The principal is a wonderful, supportive and energetic leader that strives to maintain the quality that we expect. The best part of the community is the diversity. My children thrive is this environment. The teachers care and excel in their teaching abilities. The science and technology program is top notch and includes a computer lab, white boards and an after school robotic club. The middle school is preparing my children for attendance at he high school of their choice. I have been more than satisfied with his school and truly believe that it is the best kept secret among Catholic Schools or else parents would be lining up to enroll their children here!
Submitted by other on November 12, 2012

I am a former student who has attended here from elementary school to the middle school. There is only one class for each grade. The school was supposed to be a 'bully' free zone but it was the exact opposite. Bullying went on like it was ok. The principal is a nice lady but she is to nice. There were no punishments or consequences for bullying. The teachers played favorites and weren't on top of things. As another review said parents/students usually dislike one particular teacher. The middle school has a lot of problems that need to be addressed. The teachers want you to be a perfect example for the younger kids. However, we are teenagers and we make mistakes. Some of the middle school teachers were very poor instructors to be honest I've learned more from my classmates than some of the middle school teachers. If there was a problem or something broke the middle schoolers were always first to blame. Most of the time it wasn't even us! Favoritism plays a huge role at this school. There are no clubs and barely any extracurriculars at the school. The school wants everybody to think the same and thinking outside of the box wasn't welcomed by the teachers.
Submitted by parent on August 30, 2012

I agree with the positive review. I haven't attended but did tour and interview all the staff. Principle communicates well. They have a great tech lab where all grade levels benefit. Kinders get once a week tech time to learn basic typin, etc and it progresses by grade level thru learning Microsoft programs and other things. Kinders also have a real music program learning beginning notes and stuff. Pricing is competitive and actually a lot cheaper than other catholic schools. Class sizes are small. St Lawrence in Santa Clara Seems to have more events and activities going on and they may also have newer technology but not sure if the lower grade levels benefit. Also, st. Joseph has the double accredididation for 6 years. Not sure if st Lawrence has this or not (the 6 years). Nor do I know what the WASC accreditation signifies.
Submitted by parent on August 28, 2012

I have to believe that the post prior to mine is reviewing a different St. Joseph school (there are several) because it has inaccurate info and isn't consistent at all with the positive experience we've had St. Joseph Mountain View. First of all, all the elem. schools in the Diocese of SJ have the same tuition, mandated by the Bishop and Superintendent. Our Principal is a strong leader, manages her staff and is beloved by the school families. She knows every student in the school and is ALWAYS an advocate for the children. The school has a great technology program. Besides a Computer Lab, the school utilizes "Smart Boards" and document cameras in many classrooms. A mobile MacBook lab and Robotics Club are the newest things being implemented. The Hot Lunch Program is outsourced through the Pasta Market (like many other schools in the area) so the pricing and offerings are competitive and flexible. The teaching staff is qualified and caring. Wonderful fine arts/science/tech programs, affordable after school sports and extended day care, an ethnically and socio-economically diverse community, active parents and close-knit school community...all make SJMV a top-notch school.
Submitted by parent on August 20, 2012

The school is old and needs updating. The tuition is high for this school, when other Catholic schools at lower tuition offer more, like technology led classes (classes with computers or iPads). The Principal has been in charge for tooooooo long. She befriends her staff instead of leading them at this point. Several parents feel that it's time for her to step down, since she cannot seem to lead properly and manage her staff/teachers. Very little followup with parents. Some kids/parents dislike one particular teacher. It seems that this teacher spends more time writing notes to parents about their child's behavior, then teaching (so it seems due to the abundance of notes received). Several parents have either pulled their kids out of this school or not continued with the school (child refused to be her class next school year), because of this teacher. Their hot lunch program leaves a lot to be desired. The cost for what the kids get (quantity and quality) is a joke. Don't get me wrong, it's a good school, but no better than a mediocre public one in regards to the level of education your child will get. . FINALLY, I do believe that it's all about the green!
Submitted by parent on May 29, 2012

I have had one child graduate and one that is currently enrolled. I have been very pleased with the close knit community that is provided at Saint Joseph. The teachers have constantly kept me informed and up to date on all areas of my daughters school work. The constant attention to the child's growth scholastically is a very important portion of my chocie to stay with Saint Joseph. The availability of a computer lab and assitance in the afterschool day care adds immedsly to the total expeeince. My eldest daughter was very well prepared when she graduated to Saint Francis college prep high school. The transition was seamless educationally. I am very satisfied and would highly recomend any parent to research Saint Jospeh during their elementary school search.
Submitted by other on May 26, 2012

There doesn't appear to be good reporting on children's progress or an effort to test children according to standardized testing. If a child is absent when testing is being done, you're told to pay additional fees to Sylvan or another school to test your child. That doesn't seem right--not after paying full tuition! The report card lacks specificity and unless you try to contact the school, they do not contact you. Concerned about the viability of this school.
Submitted by parent on January 25, 2012

Highly impressed from Day 1! My daughter joined the kindergarten class on 2011. The first day of school I could tell the little ones were a little uneasy. It did not last longer. I could tell how the older students took such great care of them. They all got involved! From the1st grade to the 8th graders. Since then, she begs to go to school. Even on Saturdays! She has such an eagerness to learn. She tells me of Mr Schrive science experiments, her computer class, etc. Priceless!
Submitted by parent on January 23, 2012

Our children have been attending St. Joseph Elementary for 4 years now. We are so happy to have found this school. It has the best community of children, parents, and staff. Living in Silicon Valley it's hard to find such a special, friendly, and loving group of people. Academically they have been challenged and I've watched them become independent and responsible for their grades. I love the comaraderie that the children have with each other from kinder through 8th. After visiting many schools in the area nothing compared to the overall sense of community offered at SJMV.
Submitted by parent on January 20, 2012

Our fourth grade child has been attending this school since kindergarten. I am not going to lie, there have been some bumps in our road, but what institution is absolute? Our child loves school, his friends, his teachers, and what he is learning, in all aspects. Some of things I love about Saint Joseph, as a parent, are: the fact that I know my child is in a safe environment (and, most importantly, he feels safe); he is surrounded by creativity (art, music, science, and technology); there is a huge grass field (it doesn't feel like a prison); he has great friends and community surrounding him; he is learning great study habits. What more can you ask from a school? My son's friends encompass all races and classes. We have a younger child who is greeted and known by kids of all grades when she comes on to campus. We as a family, socialize with parents and kids of all classes and races. Presently, the school is hosting students from China (for the second consecutive year). The school and its community are very warm and inviting.