St Vincent Ferrer Elementary School

1515 Lathrop Avenue

River Forest, IL 60305

23 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on October 01, 2024

We have three children at this school. We have been through the early childhood, the elementary & now middle school. Each grade has been excellent - fun, challenging (in a good way), and the teachers really seem to care. The specials teachers are fun & educational. I know my children are getting a great education that is going to lead to amazing futures. I would recommend this school to anyone!
Submitted by teacher on October 01, 2024

St. Vincent Ferrer School has really demonstrated the ability to stay strong in tough times. In the four years as a staff member, I have seen the hardest working, most spirited, and fun-loving staff. The community and students are at the center of this strength, and inspires a passion and pride for generations to come. With every obstacle, the school has shown a tenacity to demonstrate success!
Submitted by teacher on October 01, 2024

As a former student of St. Vincent Ferrer School, I was drawn to come back to the school to be the athletic director and 8th grade teacher. Over the years, the school has displayed growth both academically and athletically and makes me proud to say that I am a SVF Friar!
Submitted by other on October 31, 2023

Truly - just a full nightmare. As someone with years of experience here, they don’t know a good thing when they have it. There’s a reason why every teacher leaves in the middle of the year. Also, if you have a child with learning disabilities, they will not be provided with the education they deserve or the education you are paying for/they promise. Save your money and go to a different Catholic School in the area.
Submitted by parent on August 31, 2023

Nothing but a phenomenal experience with church and school alike. Great teachers, staff, church and school families. Will always recommend St Vincent Ferrer to anyone looking for a top notch education with safety and education at the forefront of the curriculum.
Submitted by parent on August 31, 2023

We love SVF! They have been so welcoming and the academics are top notch! I love the sense of community and knowing my kids are happy and safe is a #1 priority for me!
Submitted by parent on August 31, 2023

I am an alum of St. Vincent Ferrer School and current parent of two students. The teachers, staff, parish and general school community are welcoming, supportive and fun! It’s a great place to be! Go Friars!!
Submitted by parent on February 24, 2022

My son is a current student in the early childhood program. He loves his teacher, his school, and his friends. I commend this faculty and staff for all they have done to create a positive environment during such tough times.
Submitted by parent on January 27, 2022

My four-year-old child experienced trauma from this school. The teacher gave up on her, was never able to get control of my child, and passed her to another classroom with two teachers that had the same problem connecting. The principal does not know how to hire pre-k teachers and has staff that fails to make connections with the children. Before going here, my child love daycare and friends, after going here, my child did not want to go to school. This school did damage to my child's confidence, but I am glad to say we pulled out of SVF and corrected the situation.
Submitted by parent on June 23, 2021

The current school year 2020-21 principal fails every aspect of her leadership position. Faculty wants are prioritized over student needs. Instructional time & resources wasted on specials by unlicensed recruits from a secularist third-party provider, so homeroom teachers get their additional breaktime. The Catholic school parents ought to know about this for-profit’s involvement with every child’s education.I don’t know which’s worse - their Spanish instructor with a limited English vocabulary that has a habit of asking a question when she meant to make a statement in English, or the full tantrum she threw (yelling,crying & pounding her fists on the desk) in front of 9&10 year old students when she realized none of them did the homework. Also ineffective are the unqualified “teachers” with substitute certificates that pretend they’re professionals while working year-round in the same classroom. Parents, the school’s decisions can’t be trusted — whether it’s a current college student or a former daycare aide, have met their qualifications for a teaching position here. Differentiated instruction is only available on a tablet learning platform for math & reading; otherwise, teacher instruction is the same for all subjects.Classroom’s aren’t being observed. During class, my child’s teacher frequently attended to her phone; and then became agitated when a student prompted her with a question. Often, she flat out said she wasn’t going provide any assistance; and consequently, the students struggled. Many have fallen below grade level expectations, but the teacher brushed this over during conferences, “oh, she didn’t perform well on our diagnostic, but there’s no need to worry cause I know she knows the material.” And, you won’t receive ANY information regarding these diagnostics. The principal hasn’t even disclosed the school’s results on the AoC’s summative assessments for the past two years. The BSJ meetings are also falls within their secrecy realm. Never a single notification or mentioning of an upcoming board meeting, nor has she shared the minutes. Instead, she distracts everyone by over-promoting the parent club’s meetings.Parents are utterly frustrated with her lack of communication, and her unfulfilled commitment to circumvent unruly behavior with a new SEL curriculum. Instead, she came up with a marginalized solution — a chant for students to mindlessly recite every morning that they’re kind Friars who make smart choices.
Submitted by parent on July 19, 2020

Instructional leader, the principal, one of the worst I have ever seen, and I work in a school district. KIDS ARE FIRST! I would search around. Thankfully I have options.
Submitted by parent on March 05, 2020

Horrible experience. I would not return to this school and counting down the days until this school year ends.
Submitted by parent on April 29, 2019

Based on the past two years I'd have to rate it a 6.5 out of 10. Prior years under Dr. Terry's leadership, I'd rate it 8.5 and not a 10 (primarily on account of the same foreign language teacher who has been teaching at the school).Lastly, why aren't STEM courses still not implemented into the school's curriculum??!!
Submitted by parent on May 30, 2017

My children are learning new things every day! I love what goes on at St. Vincent Ferrer!! Our teachers at this school are the best! They are constantly coming up with new and creative ways to teach our kids. They are readily available to help a student if he/she is struggling. All of the teachers offer after school help twice a week for free. My kids are challenged everyday with new and excited material. Dr.Terry has done a marvelous job putting this group of teachers together. They are so dedicated and really love what they are doing. There is a before school and after school program for working parents. Every classroom has a SMART BOARD and grades 4-8 have some textbooks on their iPADS. There are many sport and clubs the students can join. Our principal and pastor work well together and make decisions based on what is best for the school and parish. Our children are learning how to be good people with a faith based approached to learning. Our kids go to mass once a week with the school. There is definitely a sense of family here. You have to purposefully try to ignore someone to not feel included. There are many family events offered for school families and parishioners throughout the year. They offer a lot of ways for parents to be involved and get to know other parents. SVF is a great parish and school to belong to. Teachers, staff, parents, students, Dr. Terry & Fr. Tom all really genuinely care about each other and the students. The parish is also in the process of building a new hall that the students will use for lunch daily. There are a lot of good things happening at SVF!! The bottom line is my kids have excelled at SVF!! There is no place I would rather be!
Submitted by other on February 15, 2017

Bullying is the name of the game at this school. Principal stated parents do not need to know what goes on daily, teachers refuse to address bullying in class, Father let's the school run itself with no oversight and arrogance of the staff is shocking. They put on a good sell which is why we were excited to attend, but when it comes to reality, my kids did not feel safe. Go elsewhere!
Submitted by parent on December 22, 2016

Great staff that cares. Academically challenging and very modern. Tutoring is free!!!! Clean and organized.
Submitted by parent on January 07, 2014

Great school. Dedicated teachers. High standards. My kids are learning, having fun and better behaved.
Submitted by parent on August 23, 2013

PROS: I think the kids at svf are a lot more social and pleasant than most other schools, and the religion program is strong and the play ground area is fairly large and well maintained. there is a smart board in every room, and they also have ipads for education purposes CONS: The teachers lack enthusiasm in the subjects they teach. Most are new and inexperienced. I am also concerned about the number of teachers because most teachers have to teach more than one subject so they cant be as dedicated to a specific subject. the school's books aren't on the ipads...yet. I hope this review was helpful the lunch room area is dreadfully small and I wonder how they fit so many kids in there. the gym is also very small. The water fountains barely work so water bottles are needed.
Submitted by parent on March 12, 2013

I am so impressed by the education and sense of community at this school. We have two children in the Early Childhood program and I am amazed at what they are learning at such a young age. The principal has incorporated technology without losing the importance face-to-face teaching and learning. So far, this school has been worth every penny of the tuition we pay.
Submitted by parent on February 15, 2013

I have two children in the early childhood program at SVF. Last year was our first year, and my family couldn t be happier. At 3 and 4 years old, my kids are learning Spanish, going to computer lab, and use technology (iPads and Smartboards) to spice up the way they learn, not to mention the fundamentals of ABCs, writing their letters/name and math homework on IXL (a computer program that they fight over)! When I was looking at where to send them to school, I thought the education they received should be my primary focus, which to some extent it still is. But my family has received so much more at St. Vincent s! We have found a place for our children to learn and grow, and we have found a real community to raise our children in. If you are looking at new schools, I would recommend coming to St. Vincent s for a tour. Once you see the classes, meet the staff and some of the families, you won t want to look any further.