St. James Catholic School

250 West 3rd Street

Perris, CA 92570

14 Reviews

School District
Grade

K-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on August 22, 2024

We moved to Riverside last year and looked at several schools for our first-grade son. We were fortunate to find St James. Academically, they are top-notch. The test scores are similar to those of some of the elite schools in the area. The campus is small and has a cozy feel to it. The parents are friendly and treat each other like family. The administration and teachers genuinely care about educating kids. They love what they do, and it shows. This school is a hidden gem with all the new houses being built. I'm sure others looking for a new school would benefit by checking it out.
Submitted by parent on February 29, 2024

We have had a great experience at St. James the last two years. It’s a hidden gem. It’s a small school, with a community and family feel. My kids are excelling in all areas. I highly recommend this school.
Submitted by parent on May 17, 2023

I am currently a parent to two children at this school and this school is absolutely horrible. Just a warning before enrolling your child here, review all policies and note that there is no anti-bullying policy. I have had the unfortunate problem in dealing with my child being bullied at the school. I am trying to work with the staff and administrators, but they are putting the blame on my son not knowing enough coping skills to handle the bully. My son is just trying his best to learn and he is already in therapy, why is the onus on him to deal with the bully? I asked to meet with the parents of the bully and was denied, not by the parents, but by the principal. I asked for something to be done and their best response is to have the teachers and staff keep a better watchful eye. That sounds fine on paper, but shouldn't they have noticed the bullying already considering this has escalated into physical torture? The staff and administration do not care about the children in the school and are only there for a paycheck. When you are paying private school tuition, you would think you are paying for a better education and better community, but that is not the case with this school. The school is not even informing parents of what is really going on behind closed doors. Sounds up to par with the Catholic community trying to hide all nefarious actions! If your child is already enrolled in this school, I highly suggest probing the staff and administration to see what is truly going on, because I promise you, they are not giving you the full picture and are turning a blind eye to anything that would cause them to actually do their job.
Submitted by parent on May 28, 2020

My experience at this school has been amazing. St James is like an extended family and I couldn't recommend it enough!
Submitted by parent on September 26, 2019

I love it. We came from a long history of public schools. St.. James class sizes are the best. Here there really is "no student left behind". The discipline also teaches your student to be respectful and considerate. And my daughter has learned a huge amount about the bible, and being a better Christian.
Submitted by parent on August 10, 2019

The parents, staff and administration CARE about students, their education, and building character. Religious education is incorporated in the curriculum daily and there is weekly mass. Small class sizes so the kids get individualized attention which you don't find at many schools these days (I'm a substitute teacher, I know! ) It is a tight night and welcoming community. I can't say enough good things!
Submitted by other on November 30, 2018

Excellent, I am pleased to be a part of the St. James family. The parents are supportive of one another. I don't hear any gossip. We have had a lot of gossip in the past. With the new principal, we don't hear it any more.
Submitted by parent on April 17, 2017

This is clearly a dying school. Unfortunately, what is shown at orientation is not real life at Saint James. The facilities are way below par and unsanitary, you would not send your kids to eat and breathe at this school if you knew of the gross hall the food is served at, along with the bugs, unclean kitchen, and unsafe conditions. "Administrative Staff"- not real administrators, they would not survive in a real office or real school setting with real guidelines and expectations. Some don't even seem like they enjoy working there. I have seen the staff roll their eyes at children who walk in the office for help. So sad. The Diocese doesn't support or care for the school so they get no support from them, Saint James is left to survive on its own. The parish next door doesn't care about the school. The principal is a nice lady but is not qualified to be a principal with her lack of innovation, motivation, organization, follow through, leadership, and inspiration as the principal. It is a telling sign when the "administrator" defers to the parents for advice and help on her own job duties. There are some teachers that are amazing and some that I dread having my kid have to endure for a whole school year. The tuition is not bad, however the finances are poorly managed if managed at all. There is ALWAYS no money. There are ALWAYS fundraisers. It is a never ending cycle. It is the responsibility of the principal to fundraise, not expect the parents to keep dishing out of their own pocket for school supplies, event supplies, etc. There are not adequate resources for a child to flourish academically, they can only go so far as the curriculum and talent that Saint James can afford, which isn't much. If your child has talents, needs challenging material, has special needs, or wants to explore something innovative like STEM, they won't be nourished here. There are very little or poorly run extra curricular activities run by parents. The school attempts to do too many events/activities and they are all done poorly. Parents of a private school have expectations, Saint James is not meeting them with the facilities, staff, academics, and extracurricular activities. The good thing is that its Catholic and relatively cheap. If you want to sacrifice your child's education for that, good luck.
Submitted by parent on April 09, 2017

Having a student currently enrolled at St. James Catholic School I can't say enough good things about the Principal, Mrs. Lara, the Faculty and the Staff.Mrs. Lara is definitely student centered/family focused which creates a warm and welcoming environment. It's my experience that she has an excellent grasp of fiscal responsibility and has explained on numerous occasions that the additional fundraising money goes back directly to the students and school. With emphasis on academics and grounded by religious values my child has flourished at St. James! Kudos to the entire hard-working Staff for going above and beyond!
Submitted by parent on November 16, 2016

Despite the bad rating I must begin this by saying, I loved the teachers there last year! Unfortunately 7 of the 11 teachers left the school at the end of the year. The teachers there are truly doing their best, their love for the students, families, and their Catholic faith was overwhelming and amazing. However it is clear that they are frustrated by the outlandish demands of the principal. If I could have kept the teachers and gotten rid of the office staff I would have loved to stay at the school. Parents spend their hard earned money to send their children to this school. However it is easy to see that the financials of this school are severely mismanaged. Parents are constantly asked to make donations (on top of paying tuition) and there always seems to be a fundraiser going on, yet no one knows where the money goes. NONE of the fundraising money goes back into the classrooms, the teachers are required to pay for all supplies out of pocket, the curriculum is obtained by federal title money. Instead of effectively running the school in a positive way the principal and the two women who work in the office are more concerned with gossiping and trash talking parents/kids/families. The principal will not only discuss confidential information in front of parents, she will even trash talk the parents and students that she doesn't like in front of other students (including her daughter). The Principal also has no problem using foul language (especially F***) in front of the parents and students. She is the most unprofessional principal I have ever met.
Submitted by parent on August 09, 2014

I first rated this school 4 stars but after a few years attending here I have a very different opinion.The quality of teaching has gone down. To start, they have a receptionist teaching 5th Grade. reason parents are given is that she is enrolled in a teaching program, BUT, she's been enrolled in said programs for years and still not credentialed. ~TK classroom is a tiny room built adjacent to the kitchen. I'm not sure it's legal or safe: it is a fire hazard, hazard of gas leak,infestation of roaches in the kitchen. ~ reason for the low rating is the PRINCIPAL and her husband. ~principal considers parents talking each other gossiping ~Speaking another language on campus is frowned upon ~Her husband is always on campus which Is creepy;either he can't live with out his wife or he is very fond of children. ~for the past two years a school employees child has won the Notre Dame scholarship. Last year the receptionist son (now 5th gr tchr) won the scholarship. This year the principals daughter won it. No diocese employee should be eligible for scholarship. Pros: small community, new field, daycare available, new chrome books for classroom and religious education.
Submitted by parent on August 21, 2013

My 2 boys came from public school before they went to St James last year. Even though it is free at the public school, we chose to pay in a catholic school because of the quality of education. My kids were "A " students in public school and when they went to St . James, we realized how much behind they were in academics. We are so glad we decided to take them to this school. The school maybe old , but we just started last year and you can see some changes as months pass by. It is visible how all the staff with the leadership of the principal Mrs Lara and parent volunteers, work hard to make the school great. Everytime you go to the office, they know you and your kids name , it is a very tight family oriented school. Students are academically and spiritually guided and love the fact that they have school mass every Wednesday ,which is so great. Both kids and us parents are very happy of being at St. James, we just regret we could have started them here earlier. We highly recommend this school to parents who are concern of their kid's future .
Submitted by other on July 20, 2012

I only give four stars because the school is old & we are still trying to fix it up.My children went here & my grandchildren. One just graduated after 9 years the other has been there 8. We have the best principle Mrs. Lara, she works very hard to get the best supplies & new books.Everybody pretty much knows everybody. They have Faith families where the older children look out for the little ones
Submitted by parent on June 02, 2011

My oldest daughter has attended this school from Kindergarten to 8th Grade (2011). She has been an honor roll student for many years. She has excelled in math, English, spelling and writing. St. James encourages children to participate in class presentations from Kindergarten through 8th grade; which is a great asset in life. My daughter has been accepted into a public high school with high academic standards and will be taking advanced classes. If you want your child to succeed, parents must be involved in every aspect of their children's education. St. James has always been good in communicating with parents when children are struggling. It is up to the parents to assist them in overcoming the barriers that are holding them back.