St. Michael's School

15542 Pomerado Road

Poway, CA 92064

22 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-8
Type

private

Find Homes for Sale in this School Zone

Reviews

Submitted by parent on December 19, 2024

I enrolled my 4 kids into St. Michael's thinking that it would have a better benefit for their faith and education than public schools, but I was sadly mistaken. I expected my kids to be able to excel in their education but I feel as if they were held back. The teaching there was not up to my standards. The teachers lacked critical teaching skills proved to benefit the students during this vulnerable stage where it is very important to prioritize the students health and not overwork them with meaningless activities or busy work. With one of my 4 children being special needs I had high hopes that the teachers at St. Michaels would understand that she would need a little more help than some of the other students in her grade, but I was disappointed to learn that the teachers did not help my child when it was obvious that she was struggling. In addition to that my eldest child who identifies as non-binary was discriminated against by students and staff because they banned the usage of they/them pronouns. As for family engagement I would say that the only way you would feel welcomed by the school is if you are from the upper middle class and are able to provide hefty donations to the school. Overall I would not recommend this school to parents looking to provide the best education possible for their children.
Submitted by parent on September 17, 2024

Incredibly disappointing experience with this school. In our experience, some children are held in higher regard than others by teachers, staff and administration. If your child isn't one of the chosen few then expect no community, no support, and to be pushed out. We experienced that most students are overloaded, overwhelmed, and stressed at very young ages. Our child experienced great levels of anxiety here at an elementary age. Members of the staff and administration do not communicate effectively with parents. In our experience, administration and resource staff are in dire need of improvement and up to date training. Needless to say, our child did not continue here. Overall VERY negative experience and would not recommend sending your child here.
Submitted by student on March 03, 2022

This school is amazing and everybody friendly! The kids and faculty are always kind and happy to help. I remember it is a bit hard to make friends if you're not open to it, but you'll find your friends within the first week.
Submitted by parent on July 16, 2021

Great school. My kids started this school since Pre-School. I love the teaching and the staff.
Submitted by other on September 08, 2020

Parents need to ask themselves if having CA Credentialed teachers is important at this school. Being in a religious environment should not preclude your child from having credentialed teachers. For instance, a "faculty" member at this school holds a 30 day Substitute credential year after year at this school. All public school teachers in CA must be credentialed in the subject they teach and this school fudges on that year after year. It starts at the top. The Principle is not CA Credentialed to be a Principle; however, in all fairness, the Diocese may not require her to be. However, Credentialing for teachers is important and teachers at this school who somehow feel they are not required to achieve that distinction do not provide the quality education your child deserves.
Submitted by parent on September 07, 2020

Very impressed and satisfied at how St. Michael's has embraced, enhanced and delivered a totally new mode of educating our kids - distance learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. From day 1, they were on top, and in control, and made the transition extremely seamless and smooth. Needless to say, this required immense effort on the part of the teachers, staff and administrators, one can only imagine all their effort and hard work. Now, I have the peace of mind that whatever the future holds, I am assured that my son's education will NOT be compromised because we can count on St. Michael's to deliver quality education, in a safe environment, come what may.
Submitted by parent on May 15, 2019

We have had children at SMS for 10 years. Our oldest is just finishing her freshman year in HS. She was completely prepared both academically and spiritually for the transition. We have seen many changes over the years...all for the betterment of the environment and education of the school and students. We could not be happier with the decision to send our girls to St. Michael's and we highly recommend it to anyone looking for a faith based education for their children.
Submitted by parent on April 05, 2019

Excellent! St Michael School is an example of academic excellence with a faculty that is professional and well trained. My daughter is in middle school and am grateful for this schools level of security , behavioural expectations, communication with administration and the vast array of extra curricular activities supported by the school. We are truly blessed to have a place that I can drop off my daughter and know she is safe and secure with an engaged faculty that cares for each child and brings our Catholic values to life each day. Priceless.
Submitted by parent on October 05, 2017

We moved two daughters here in 6th and 7th grade. They met friends and were made very welcome almost immediately. The education has been outstanding and our oldest who was told had 'math issues' at the old school ended up being moved into advanced math at St. Michaels. The principal has been very accommodating, truly cares, and overall we couldn't have been happier. Definitely worth the drive for us as a family!
Submitted by other on June 09, 2016

We moved our son here for middle school and he is thriving. The teachers are very caring and the resource teacher is amazing. The structure and simplicity of the program make it a great fit for him. I think the chaos of a large middle school is just not for everyone and St. Michael's was a perfect alternative.
Submitted by parent on May 09, 2016

Our child attended Poway Unified schools and we decided to move him to Saint Michael's for the "small" middle school environment and exposure to religious education. Although there are some absolutely amazing kids who attend and families we adore, moving our child there was by far the biggest mistake we ever made! There is no comparison to the quality of education children are receiving from Poway Unified schools. The math courses at Saint Michael's are a solid 2 years behind Poway Unified, my child was being taught 8th grade English by a religion teacher that had never taught the subject before, and when you try to communicate with the principal about any concerns she brushes them off and is extremely condescending and dismissive. We moved our child back to Poway Unified and, although his time at Saint Michael’s set him back academically, he is now caught up and thriving. I realize there are some reviews favorable to this school but I would have to believe that many of these families have been with the school from the beginning and do not have any basis for comparison. The most unfortunate thing is that the principal is simply not a warm or caring person who is open to feedback and interested in improving.
Submitted by parent on March 08, 2016

St. Michael’s is a wonderful school. I am especially pleased with my son’s teachers and the schools Resource Director. They are always very accommodating with my requests for meetings and/or information (my son has a learning disability). It is clear that they are committed educators, who wish to see each child reach their potential. I have seen improvement with each progress report and know that at St. Michael’s my son is developing a strong academic (and spiritual!) foundation.
Submitted by parent on February 18, 2016

We have been members of this school community for over 10 years. In addition to the cutting edge additions made to the curriculum each year, this is a safe, warm, and close-knit environment where children can develop to their fullest.
Submitted by parent on December 09, 2015

The school principal, assistant principal, staff and teachers are accommodating, approachable, generous, understanding and performs above and beyond in their job description. St. Michael's is indeed a second home and family for us. Our daughter has grown not only academically but spiritually as well. We never thought that we'd be able to send our daughter to a great catholic school. St. Michael's has shown us the true meaning of giving generously. They made Catholic education not hard to attain contrary to others belief. They know how important for our daughter to grow closer to God and build a strong Catholic foundation. Others would go into detail with all their praises. But I hope that when I say St. Michael's is our family would say it all. Thank you St. Michael's for the gift of family. Thank you for giving our daughter the privilege to have a Catholic Education. We are assured that she would go to high school prepared with anything life throws at her, because she is a Crusader!
Submitted by parent on December 09, 2015

The school has welcomed us like family. Like with every family some are happy and some are not. Our family however have experienced true generosity and compassion in this school. Not only did my daughter improved academically, she also developed into a responsible, compassionate, honest and self sufficient individual. The school has given us the chance to give our daughter a Catholic education. They were able to see how we as parents value Catholic education, and they were able to assist our family on our last leg with the school.
Submitted by parent on November 02, 2015

All three of my children attended St. Micheal's School and have become very successful in their adult lives with strong morals and belief in helping others that need help. I cannot speak highly enough of the teaching and standards the school has set for my children. I volunteered from Kindergarten thru 8th grade while my children attended. So I saw closely how their structure benefited my children to this day. The only thing negative is they will never wear corduroy pants again.
Submitted by parent on August 29, 2015

We moved our child here from a great public elementary school in PUSD, for his middle school years. It was the absolute biggest mistake of our lives. They do a great job recruiting kids/parents to the school. But once you are there, the experience completely changes. There is absolutely no comparison in terms of quality education and staff, with a public Poway Unified school. It's a very stark contrast that is easy to see when you transfer from great schools. Unfortunately my child regressed tremendously. Communication with staff and administration is very poor. We also had a couple instances of bullying of which were TOLERATED by the principle, and NOTHING was done to help my child. "That's interesting. I can't believe ______ would do that. They are such a good family." And because they were "such a good family"....NOTHING was done. Very old school education, no innovation, a principle who gets a very low approval rating, and teachers who are very nice, but below standard. If you are looking for a quality education - unfortunately SMS is not the right place. It's a very cute school - with a very good first impression. Unfortunately, not much beyond that.
Submitted by parent on March 22, 2015

It is very short in facilities and learning capacity of the students. I think students will not like it especially in PE and other subjects. Dont waste your money to enroll your kids in St. michael School.
Submitted by parent on December 16, 2014

My son has struggled the last few years and had grown very down on himself and his abilities. This year I attacked early, even before the school year began and started a plan for either moving my son to a new school in Poway public or remaining at St Michael's. The Poway public school ratio was 36 - 1 for 6th grade, (not good). St Michael's sat at 23-1. After some good nudging on my part, St Michael's really stepped up and created a customized learning plan for my child. We have had regular contact and emails and meetings. Also this year the school implemented an after school program called Outpost which has been a home run and blessing. A dedicated 1 hour of homework with one on one support. We went from C's, D's and borderline F's last year, to A's, B's and C's this year. It still requires a lot of work from a parents side to keep things on track and I know that is hard for us all. But being fair, St Michael's really stepped up this year and my son has been thriving because of it. 4 stars instead of 5 because it still takes much work from the parent to keep it heading correct. But the willingness for a school to adapt and grow is the essential part for success.
Submitted by parent on August 04, 2014

Once a pond time, this was a great school, not anymore. The other two reviews in 2014 are dead on accurate. The principal, Kathy Mock, is a complete joke and more than half of the current teachers are intimidating to the children and don't care about the well being of the kids. It's a complete shame, as I finally had enough and removed my children from the school even through is was close to graduating. His self esteem fell big time over the past two years, he went from being an above average student to a below average student. The teachers did very little to help. The sad part is there are no teachers who you think back and say "that teacher made a different in my child's life". The assistance principal has been there for 30 years, if not longer. She needs to retire as she truly scars the children. My child said he rather fail than ask her about an assignment. There is another Catholic school near by which has excellent review. I would not recommend this school to anyone. btw - I have never seen the principal smile or engage in a friendly conversation with a parent and heaven forbid you point out something wrong. She will lecture you on how she is correct and you are wrong. SAD