St. Leo the Great Catholic School

Reviews

• Submitted by parent on October 18, 2017
  We have been at St. Leo’s since the Fall of 2014. I currently have one son in 3rd grade and one in Pre-K. Our experiences have been nothing short of wonderful. All of the teachers are fabulous and there is ongoing communication that makes it easy to stay up to date with what is happening in the classrooms. There was a change in both Principal and Priest this year and so far we have been incredibly impressed. The school leadership is fantastic and the vision for the school in the future is very exciting. I highly recommend checking out the school and church!
• Submitted by parent on April 13, 2017
  Accomplished small diverse community experience. Curriculum has continued to improve and become more challenging to both my children. Looking forward to the proposed STEM program to be implemented.
• Submitted by parent on March 10, 2017
  We have only been at St. Leo a couple of months, but my 2nd grader could not be happier. Where in his previous elementary school, he was on a level 3 SST and headed toward special ed testing, he is now bringing home 100%'s on his spelling tests. Mrs. Ewell and Mrs Boitano are an absolute joy and a wonderful example for my son. The families are warm and inclusive and have made us feel right at home.
• Submitted by other on September 01, 2015
  We recently moved to the Rose Garden Neighborhood after having lived in Los Gatos and Saratoga since my husband and I were children. Our daughter attended elementary schools in both towns and we were quite pleased with the level of academics, however, we longed for a more "whole child" experience for out daughter. We began looking into the Catholic schools in our neighborhood and then started asking our Catholic friends from Los Gatos and Saratoga, who were very familiar with the Catholic schools in the Diocese, for recommendations. They unanimously told us that our daughter should attend St. Leo's because of it's outstanding reputation that reached beyond it's boundaries. When we toured the school, we found it to be warm and inviting.The girls in my daughter's class reached out to her before school even began and encouraged her to join the volleyball team. We are delighted at how respectful, age appropriate, and well mannered all of the children are. Overall, it was refreshing to find a demeanor of innocence in these middle schoolers. My daughter has been the beneficiary of the "whole child" approach and it has grown her in ways that could not have happened at the other schools. She especially loves that faith, confidence and leadership are three of the elements that are encouraged. This year (8th grade) she has chosen coding as her elective. St. Leo's is a breath of fresh air and it is a humble yet academically challenging school. It has a diverse population and grants a healthy number of scholarships to deserving families. It is a school that community minded parents and Silicon Valley leaders are enthusiastically drawn to. Of the graduating class of 2015, 100% of St. Leo's 8th grade students were accepted into the private high schools of their choice. It's a very exciting time at the school. The principal, Mrs. Cosentino, is an outstanding visionary. She is passionate about children and works tirelessly to make St. Leo's the best it can be. A STEM lab will be making it's debut soon, the first school in the Diocese to get one, and leading edge technology solutions is a high priority with this administration. My only complaint is that we don't have more years to enjoy this wonderful school. we will continue supporting St. Leo's as alumni for many years to come. We whole heartedly recommend St. Leo the Great School.
• Submitted by parent on September 18, 2013
  What a relief to find a warm & welcoming community like St. Leo's! We grew up in the Midwest with parents for public school teachers, so we really wanted to try to make the public schools here work, but too many horror stories from our neighborhood parents meant it had to be private for us. We visited numerous schools (eight in all), but none compared to St. Leo s. My son just started the Pre-K and in the short amount of time he has been there we have already seen a huge growth in his language development, socialization & overall knowledge. Yes, the uniforms and rules can be a little overwhelming at first, but everything is there for a reason & the staff is so helpful to new parents starting out. Plus, the community of involved parents is second to none- unlike other places where volunteering is a chore you really feel like people WANT to be there. We are so happy we made the decision to go to St. Leo's & look forward to many more years of learning & growing in this exceptional community.
• Submitted by parent on May 09, 2013
  Why is the teacher review full of incomplete sentences? Quality of teaching...learning by example....My experience as a divorced parent that did not chose this school is one of shutting out. Previous teachers were never contacted. Teachers were not co-operative in helping my child get help. (3 D's and an F and "he's doing fine" per the administration and teachers) My child was held back a grade, never before a problem. But the teachers were unaware my child was repeating the grade they were teaching. I have learned to lower my expectations. When I asked for financial aid I was given outdated paperwork, kind of like the school. Has anyone of significance ever graduated from there? Belt checks, rote memorization of prayers without meaning (pretty funny when my child could say the school prayer in Spanish, but only knew the sounds and couldn't differentiate one word from another). Save your money and go public! Just be involved. Don't be a fake!
• Submitted by parent on February 11, 2013
  St. Leo's is an excellent school because of its diverse community, brilliant education system and understanding staff. This co-ed school not educates it's students but fully engulfs them in an exciting life as a young Catholic. It's diverse community provides excellent preparation for highschool and beyond. Last but not least St. Leo's understanding and compassionate staff is willing to help any struggling student to make a better world.
• Submitted by parent on February 09, 2013
  This is a great school in our San Jose community! I have had two daughters attend and graduate from St. Leo's who are more than wonderful students academically and socially. I have found the staff and administration staff extremely friendly over the years, helpful, and always make the children priority.
• Submitted by parent on February 09, 2013
  St Leo the Great School is undergoing a transformation. The "new" principal has been there several years and the school has embraced technology better than most of the other schools we've visited. Gone is the computer lab on the 2nd floor, and now kids have access to their computers in their classroom. Kindergarten has tablets where they learn their small motor skills. Elementary kids all have Google Chrome Books and parents can have access to all their work and grades online from the web. The middle school kids are actually issued laptop bags and take them from class to class. There are 4 main buildings. The Parish. The gym, which was recently remodeled. The main school, which is getting new windows and maybe even AC. The school is a 2 story building with the lower grades downstairs and 4th-8th upstairs. The 4th building is the old convent at the corner of the lot. It is used as a math room (chapel), the science lab (upstairs bedrooms) and the extended after school care and homework club (patio and kitchen). PreK-8th 270 students $7.5k Tuition
• Submitted by parent on February 09, 2013
  I had two of my girls go to St Leos for 9 years each. I love the fact that the girls went from year to year with the same group of kids. They were like an extended family. Both girls had their pick of any of the high schools they wanted to attend. If you want a small group, family type education for your child, this is the school.
• Submitted by parent on September 30, 2012
  We are happy to be at St Leos! The families were very welcoming. The teachers are wonderful role models. They are unique because they have more male teachers than any of the other schools we looked at (4th grade, 6th grade, science, 2 math, athletic director, IT tech guy and a vice principal who also teaches). Mrs Moody gives a solid Catholic religious footing. The principal Marie Bordeleau isn't a control freak. She hires top notch staff, works hard to support them and is quick to get rid of under performers. She communicates with parents twice a week in her newsletters. The school uses 1:1 Google Chromebooks and has an amazing technology program that has kids using the latest tech tools to pull together their projects. Your kid can login from home and have access to all his classwork. Group collaboration work is the norm. Lindsay Hilliard is the Spanish teacher who also coordinates one of the best after school enrichment programs: chess, writing, theatre, odyssey of the mind, robotics, etc. The kids are very active. On watching how the kids interact they are very kind to one another and polite to parents. The student body is diverse and reflects Silicon Valley.
• Submitted by teacher on November 16, 2011
  I am so proud to be part of the St. Leo Community - it provides an incredible education with high standards and well develop technology program, and holds students to high behavioral expectations. I joined the school community in 2009 and have never regretted it. . . .the students, families and teachers are welcoming, dedicated, talented, and make each other better people. It is so great to see a wide variety of opportunities for the kids - from sports to band, drama, art, creative writing and so much more . . .the school is warm, welcoming, well organized, maintains high standards and prepares the kids for high school. It is just amazing!
• Submitted by parent on June 12, 2011
  We have been at St. Leo's for 3 years. We came in during the administration change and we have been quite happy with the new administration. The principal is youthful, innovative, and is always thinking of the "big picture" for the school community. She has helped create a wonderful foundation for the school. Some families have had difficulty with some of the changes, as the status quo has been disrupted, but the changes are positive ones. The school has finally started utilizing technology in the way it is meant to be used, which has been so helpful to the children for learning purposes. The new website and communication via web with parents and students is fantastic. The only thing that we struggle with is that the Church itself is a little more on the conservative side than most other Catholic churches in the area.
• Submitted by parent on September 07, 2010
  We love St Leo the Great! The new administration has created such a wonderful foundation for the school. There have been many changes in the last two years, all for the best. The school has really jumped into the 21st century with the computers in the class rooms, the Environmental education, the Science lab, Spanish twice a week and so much more. Also the communication to parents and students with the website, emails from principal and newsletters to keep us all in the loop. We love the community traditions and overall family feeling. I can't imaging sending my kids any where else, they love it even more that I do.
• Submitted by other on May 03, 2010
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• Submitted by parent on March 08, 2010
  My child has been at St Leo for two years. We selected this Catholic school over others in the area because of its leadership and school community. St Leo is a one classroom per grade school which means their is true bonding amoungst the students. Each grade is paired with another for buddies, expanding frienships and faith beyond their classroom. This is one of the only schools with enrichment in the lower grades. From Kindergarden, the students receive Spanish, Computers, Library and PE instruction twice a week, in addition to academics building a well-rounded student. St Leo has s diverse community, it is not 'cookie cutter,' which builds tolerance and understanding if others....perfect for faith formation. This year, the school welcomed a new principal who is awesome! She interacts with the students, building understanding and self esteem in the students, parents and staff. She has implemented change which has been positive.

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