St. Vincent De Paul Elementary School

246 Howard Street

Petaluma, CA 94952

26 Reviews

School District
Grade

K-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on November 02, 2018

Best decision we ever made was to send our children to SV.
Submitted by parent on September 09, 2018

My children attend St. Vincent's, and it is a wonderful school with smart and caring teachers. My kids are far beyond their public-school-peers both academically and socially. In my opinion, St. Vincent's Elementary and High School are the only path (in Petaluma) that will lead to a college degree from a highly regarded school.
Submitted by parent on June 28, 2018

I don’t know what kind of parent would send their child to this school. The behavior of the principals is abominable. They are the rudest people I have ever met. I did not care for their bratty attitude or sarcastic comments. Perhaps they should take a good hard look at the sign about respect in the school’s entryway. To top it all off, their teaching style is so antiquated. They are out of touch with the current trends in education. It’s no wonder they are losing students to the local public schools.
Submitted by parent on January 02, 2018

I'm so thankful I took my kids out of SV and sent them to public school this year. I had no idea how bad SV really is until I had another school to compare it to. I now realize that my kids weren't learning nearly as much as they should have been. They were bored with tedious, uninteresting assignments. They felt constantly criticized and nit picked by negative, unenthusiastic teachers who were overly focused on behavior and punishment, and they weren't happy. Now, my kids look forward to going to school. They feel challenged by interesting projects and they are learning and incorporating technology into their education on a daily basis. My kids are thriving in a warm and accepting environment. I only wish I had figured it out sooner.
Submitted by other on August 26, 2017

bad bad bad bad bad bad bad
Submitted by other on January 24, 2017

Proud alum of St. Vincent's elementary school
Submitted by other on December 06, 2016

When evaluating SVES you need to keep in mind that it is a Catholic school and students receive a strong education in religion. However, you will not receive the quality of education that you would expect from a private school. Core curriculum is lacking, particularly science and technology. My kids rarely use computers at school since technology is not well integrated into the curriculum. Science consists mainly of outlining chapters from a book with very little hands on learning. As they get into the older grades, I’m realizing my kids really aren’t doing much reading and writing. English class focuses too heavily on grammar. The school can definitely feel unwelcoming and rigid and discipline is inconsistently applied.
Submitted by parent on December 06, 2016

Our family came to SVES to find a caring, safe and loving environment for our 1st grader. What we have experienced in the 5 years since is the above and so much more. The academics are strong, a year ahead of the public school. Core subjects are taught with expectations of successful understanding and children are not "pushed through" just to keep the day going. The teachers are kind, dedicated and professional. The parent community is fun, welcoming and fully engaged what's happening on campus. All our expectations for our daughter are fully met and then some.
Submitted by parent on November 21, 2016

This school provides advanced curriculum with lots of individual student attention. My children are far ahead of their peers at other schools and are learning valuable work/study habits at a young age. St Vincent's also provides a very safe environment for your children with a warm and watchful parent community. We couldn't be happier with our experience.
Submitted by parent on November 19, 2016

Excellent academics, excellent falculty/staff, excellent parent community.
Submitted by parent on March 13, 2016

St. Vincent's is in a downward spiral. When my older child went there academics were challenging, subjects were interesting, and there was a strong emphasis on writing and science labs. None of this is true for my younger child who goes there now. There is a lot of busy work being assigned by unmotivated teachers. The school boasts about offering P.E, music, Spanish and computers, but those classes are incredibly weak. Overall, a below average education.
Submitted by parent on February 26, 2015

This school's academic curriculum is not as challenging as one might expect from a private school. Concepts move at a slow pace and are reviewed yearly with little progress. Busy work is key. Teachers focus on poor performing students and favorites. If your student is doing well he/she ends up ignored. Have been waiting for years for my child to learn writing and has not happened yet. Everything is about restating questions and a four-six sentence paragraph formula. All paragraphs sound the same. Have not written anything longer than a paragraph yet. Teaching is based on worksheets. Textbooks are underused. Half of the material in the textbook is not even taught and the language of the textbook is not age appropriate. Not much teaching takes place. Excessive testing takes time away from teaching/learning. Reading selections are not literature. I have to teach the material at home. Class size is usually 30-40 so very little individual attention. They do poorly in Spelling bee, do not even participate in Geography bee or other academic competitions. I am very disappointed with this school especially considering the cost, multitude of fundraisers, mandatory volunteer hours, etc.
Submitted by parent on November 13, 2014

My twin girls have been at SVES since I moved them from a Petaluma public school in first grade. They are now in 6th. SVES is absolutely wonderful. PE, Art, Music, and a lovely grounding in spirituality -- not dogmatic Catholicism -- but the idea of service to others, to the world. Respect for all is a major theme. My girls have wonder friends and the families are super involved in the school and fundraising. The uniforms are fantastic and make for an environment where there isn't a focus on who has what, who has more money, etc. I highly recommend this school if your kids respond well to boundaries and structure. The academy preparation is above any other school in town.
Submitted by parent on August 01, 2014

St. Vincent Elementary School is a great education! My kids are excited about their school and often thank us for sending them there. They are thriving and enjoy their teachers, friends and staff that take care of them daily. As a parent I love the community and the safe feeling that my kids are in good hands. I love not only the required curriculum (Religion included) but also the extras- P. E., Art, Spanish, Computers and Music. It's been a school in our community for years and that speaks volumes to me. It works !! It's safe and it's a great education. I would highly recommend this school.
Submitted by parent on July 30, 2014

St. Vincent's provides a wonderful education in a safe nurturing environment! I have been a parent at the school for 10+ years and both of my children have thanked me for sending them to school at SVES. The teachers are caring, welcoming, and encouraging. They help every child reach their highest potential. The academics are challenging at the right level. My now high school child was well prepared when she left SVES and doing great at the high school level. The children at SVES are so respectful and kind towards one another. The values and morals every parent should want their child to have are modeled, taught, and expected of everyone at the school. The parent community is supportive and welcoming. We could not be happier with the decision we have made to send our children to SVES!
Submitted by parent on February 22, 2014

The school is definitely way behind technologically. The administration is very resistant to change and discourages parents from speaking up and making recommendations. Math and Science in the upper grades are not strong. The school only hires teachers they know rather than the best teacher for the job.
Submitted by parent on February 16, 2014

As a prospective parent, I spoke with many parents and faculty at this school and learned that the leadership of the school is old fashioned -- meaning autocratic and techno-phobic. The school claims the moral high ground, but English language learners and special needs students are severely under-represented in the school population with respect to the community. That explains the "high test scores" that the principal likes to boast about. The curriculum is uninspiring and the junior high school math is below the level my children achieved in local public schools. What a joke.
Submitted by parent on October 26, 2013

Academic excellence with a strong emphasis of moral character and personal accountability makes St. Vincent Elementary an outstanding school.
Submitted by other on October 08, 2013

I am a parent considering SVES. I am using this and other sites to compare schools
Submitted by parent on September 21, 2013

The school is extremely strict and demands performance though punishment and guilt. My husband and I (both holding UC masters degrees) enrolled our son into 7th grade here after 6 years at public school. He clearly came in at the top of the class even though they think their curriculum is superior to the public school. I assure you it is not. Overall, this school will not instill in your child a love of learning nor surround them with inspiring teachers. Many teachers are apathetic, never smile, and are extremely unengaged with the kids and parents. The teaching style is "quantity" not "quality." The science and advanced math program is not well taught and is behind public school. Geometry is not offered in 8th grade. The Administration was unresponsive, refused to meet with us and lied to us about the testing procedures into Algebra at the high school. Parent/teacher communication is discouraged (no email allowed) and feedback is non existent (only one sentence teacher comments on report cards.) Free play is not allowed at recess/lunch (only supervised group activities) and there is no shade or grass. Not the school for parents that like to be involved.