St. Anthony School

336 Shattuck Avenue South

Renton, WA 98057

15 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on July 09, 2024

St. Anthony's is an amazing school! It is a wonderful, diverse community with a common goal of faith and academic excellence. I have worked here for 5 years, and my child has attended the last 3 years here. The change I have seen in my child and their academics has been incredible. The teachers and support staff truly care about the students and prepare them well for high school and beyond. Whether your child starts in Pre-K or joins in 8th grade you will not regret being a part of the St. Anthony community.
Submitted by parent on June 25, 2024

St. Anthony didn’t meet our standards for education and ethical guidance. Learning: 90% Lecturer style teaching with little opportunity for project based learning. They focus heavily on test scores. Children who struggle learning from textbooks are recommended to seek outside tutoring. Teachers:Noticeably high teacher turnover. Teachers were frequently absent. On several occasions my child’s classroom had a parent volunteering until a substitute became available. Social-emotional support:After incidents (written profanity, bullying, leaving campus, bathroom touching, etc) a staff member would come into the class to talk about “appropriate behavior.” Special Education:This school does not have certified instructors to provide students with disabilities the support and accommodations they require. Renton school district is heavily relied upon to send professionals to provide some accommodations.Safety:There is no designated security staff or safety person on campus. Frequently received incident reports (requiring police presence) from either the school or other parents. Family Engagement:Some volunteers were mistreated to the point of tears. Parents, regardless of history, are allowed to volunteer. There is a suggested check-in procedure for volunteers but many ignore it and freely roam the school.Extracurriculars:The school relies heavily on parent volunteers which causes inconsistent extracurricular activities. As a budget private school, we had low expectations on entering St. Anthony but after witnessing the organizational issues via volunteering, as well as other issues, we chose to seek a safer alternative.
Submitted by other on July 10, 2023

It's a great school for kids. The teaching materials are great and understandable. Teachers are doing their best to discover every children. As a parent we also have our own part in making our children learn more. The principal and teachers are nice too.
Submitted by parent on October 25, 2022

I hope this comes across as constructive, but this School needs to teach kindness, empathy, friendship, love among its students (teachers, staff, etc.). To my regret, I sent my kids here for years and pulled them out of hunch. Mine were not bullied or otherwise but there was an air of arrogance that I could not shrug off. It mostly comes from the children. Cliques are everywhere and kids will need to find a clique. Again, mind did, but this was not the way that I chose to teach my kids. We are out of St. Anthony and it has been years, but it is something that either the Catholic school needs to address or the School itself. I'm not sure. Academics as well are not good and I only learned that when my chld left. I'm very sad to write this review, as I am very much part of the Catholic community. Very sad, indeed.
Submitted by parent on June 15, 2022

Great school with amzing teachers, staffs, programs and sports.
Submitted by parent on April 05, 2022

The school has changed since Covid. Very conservative approach to re-opening which has affected the number of extracurricular activities and community building events one would expect from a private school. Academic rigor, disciplinary leniency and employee turnover have been our main concerns. Teachers identify as Catholic but not all are practicing. Unlike other private schools, St. Anthony did Zoom/hybrid school during the 2020-2021 school year. Academics have suffered, and school provides little help for kids who are ahead or behind. Some teachers appear to be taking an "everyone gets a trophy" approach to grading to account for the difficulties of the past two years. This does not help our children get ahead or prepare for high school. Leadership appears to be struggling to keep up with changes necessary to remain competitive with what other private schools (Catholic and otherwise) in the area have to offer. Before 2020, I would have wholeheartedly recommended this school. Now I would encourage you to look elsewhere. The school is fine, but that's probably all it will ever be.
Submitted by parent on July 06, 2018

I had three graduate and one tranfer from St. Anthony. After seeing my children in a few differnt private and public schools I would say St. Anthony is the worst. I live in a decent school district and would not say the education here was any superior to the public schools that my children have attended. If I were to do it all over again, I would have saved the money and had my children attend public school.
Submitted by parent on February 08, 2018

This is an amazing school and the teachers are the best!
Submitted by parent on September 14, 2017

The early grades have been great. One of our students has some minor learning challenges, but the teachers have been very good in working with us. I think if you show them that you are making extra efforts outside of school, they will work with you to help. Recently, there were 4 retirements at the school for 4 longtime and loved educators. But I am hearing that the new teachers are working out very well. The principal has a great relationship with the teachers, students, and parents; very sensitive to all parties. The school makes use of every inch of this aging school building. Wish there was more grass and space for the kids to play, but this school and church are in an urban setting. One area of improvement: I think there is tension sometimes with an overly controlling parish administration that has a very authoritarian management style; even silly and childish at times. Fortunately, the school staff insulates the parents from this tension and most don't need to deal with it.
Submitted by parent on December 01, 2014

St. Anthony School is an amazing community for our family. I have had children at the school for ten years. The faculty and staff not only care for the students but challenges them to be the best they can be. The BASS (before and after school care) program has made it possible for me to have my kids at the school and know they are being taken care of until I can get to them after work. I also love their new computer lab and have been pleased to see the school's commitment to staying current in all its educational offerings (from laptops in the classrooms, to art class to after school programs like Lego RoboticsI am grateful that my kids have had the chance to learn in an environment that is academically solid but also instils their faith into all aspects of their learning.
Submitted by other on November 30, 2014

St. Anthony school taught me so much during the eight years I attended that I came back and taught third grade for 36 years. (I recently retired.) Take it from me, I don't think any other school will love and support your child better than this school. I give it give stars!
Submitted by parent on May 30, 2014

The principal is very nice, he is very giving and awesome. The teachers are very nice too, the programs are very hard i have to admit, i heard the the 4th grade math they do, 7th grade does in public school! Teachers pay extra attention to those that need help. This is a very good school!
Submitted by parent on June 21, 2013

Being a long term St. Anthony parent with multiple children we have been there for the administrative ups and the downs but as a whole the school has been focused & consistent with it's academic offerings even better now, while still prioritizing our Catholic community & fellowship to grow all together in Christ. If you would like to be in a school where the staff cares for your child's intellect as well as a place to nourish their soul and connects families in friendship then this is the place for you. For our family we have seen our children grow up with goodness & kindness as well as us opening our hearts to friendship. It feels good dropping off our kids in a school where it is truly a partnership. Such a gift and blessing to have this opportunity.
Submitted by parent on March 15, 2013

My Nov. 2012 review is invalid. It's March now and I have a total change of heart. I've seen my child grow and everything I wanted in education. My child is still advanced and I have gotten exactly what I want in education. I am a very happy parent. I wish there was a delete button; but, I'm realizingt here is not. OH well. I hope this suffices for a recanting of the below.
Submitted by parent on October 17, 2011

While reportedly a strong school, St Anthony's is extremely inflexible when it comes to the kids that are "out of the box". Both of our very advanced children have been turned down by St Anthony's - and we are glad. One skipped two grades by now and have been a top student at every grade, and another skipped a grade by the age of five. Guess who lost on this deal? I sure hope the new principal reads my review, and makes sure that the strongest students do not get turned away by his institution.