St. Gregory

2701 Hacienda Street

San Mateo, CA 94403

9 Reviews

School District
Grade

K-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on March 05, 2018

If you are considering St. Gregory School for your child, it's important that you look at the whole picture. It is a small school with a very engaged parent community and committed staff. The events, activities and sport programs are very well organized.With that said, the class sizes are 36-37 children and it is difficult for even the most experienced and organized teachers to effectively educate and manage the kid's. Educational excellence does not seem to be the prime focus of St. Greg's.Make sure to do your research on the school to make sure it is the right fit for your child and family.
Submitted by parent on February 01, 2018

I have very happy this year. Both eaqually for my child and for our family. It feels wonderdul to be a part of a community and to bond with other families. All the staff are friendly and dedicated to my child and us. I can’t imagine a different route at this point.
Submitted by parent on September 09, 2016

I am the parent of a kindergartener. This is a wonderful school and the kindergarten teacher and her aide are definite bright spots. My child comes home delighted each day and is very happy there. They also are able to provide morning and aftercare for any student that needs it. You won't necessarily find that to be the case in some of the local public elementary schools. Great community, great teachers, great families. We are thrilled with the school!
Submitted by parent on June 21, 2016

The parent cliques make or break your experience here. And the cliques can be mighty, depending on individual class "vibe". Some classes gel, others most definitely do not. The school staff and principal do not mold the cohesiveness that it could and should for consistency. Class sizes are huge. I've seen my child's work marked incorrectly due to a "student grader" error not caught by the teacher..MORE than once. Maybe that's because the teacher doesn't have the time with all those kids? How much do I pay in tuition for that kind of standard?If the discipline was even-handed at the middle school level large size would work, but all behaviors are either tolerated or all are punished. Bright children are bored, struggling children are helped only if they speak up. Why would they when the stigma is tolerated? Student ridicule of any learning difference is not kept under check. Be aware of this, unless that is, you are part of the clique. Sports rule and is a bright spot. Again, though, the "in" sport for girls is volleyball. Your daughter will be a little lonely during track season if that's their thing. At least the boys' sports seem the thrive all the way around. Where is instrumental music? Oh yes, at the PUBLIC school. It is thriving there. That fact is pitiful. Require instrumental music for the entire class for the fourth grade at St. G's , so everyone is exposed to it. Not a priority though.Also, your child will not be able to challenge first year Spanish freshman year at HS with the current curriculum. Children in the SMFC system who take Spanish as their elective routinely end up in the second year Spanish as freshman. So, based on this, you make the call. Is the Catholic aspect of education worth it? The religion classes could be useful if the parent "models" actually held their kids to the teachings of tolerance, inclusion, acceptance..... etc. Some parents perpetuate the feeling of ostracism some children face in this school. It's shameful and negates some truly wonderful people who ARE part of the community. The decent ones don't speak up enough. The principal is still new, youthful teachers are coming on board. Some deadwood is getting cleaned up. There's hope left. Maybe..
Submitted by other on November 11, 2014

This school is seriously in trouble! The class sizes are over 30 per class and in some cases 35 kids. Teaching cannot be successful with this size class. Someone is bound to fall through the cracks. I was a visitor at the school recently and sat outside of a 4th grade classroom. The teacher was screaming at an alarming rate for no less than 15 minutes. What happened to the kind, gentle, and nurturing teachers? They are not at this school. In these large size classrooms they need to have 2 credentialed teachers, instead of a teacher and helper. This school is doomed for failure.
Submitted by parent on November 10, 2012

Unfortunately, it looks as though someone from within the school actually posted the last two reviews. First and foremost, I can't think of an 8th grader that would take the time to look for school review sites to post their opinion. Secondly, the leadership has actually gone down hill since Mrs. Paul left. Mr. Dooher, the new principal, is more of a warden than a concerned educator. Since his arrival he has made sure to eliminate the small school, family/ close knit community feeling. Some of the teachers seem to be less than enthusiastic, especially in the lower grades. Class size is a major concern, larger than most public schools theses days(36 students per class). In all honesty, St. Mathews or St. Catherine's would be a better choice in comparison to the current state of the school.
Submitted by parent on September 04, 2012

This school is really going in the right direction. The previous leadership seemed to be stuck in a rut of "we've always done it that way." The new principal and pastor are actively hiring new, great teachers and staff and you can feel the energy in the school. Applications can be competitive with a waiting list for all classes. I feel like my children are cared for and are getting an excellent education as well as learning to be responsible, caring young people. Their teachers have expected a lot of them and they have learned. I really enjoy the St. Greg's community and there are so many ways to get involved. Communication to/from the parents and school has greatly improved and the principal really adheres to his open door policy. You can tell based upon the high schools, and ultimately colleges, that these students go on to that St. Greg's is doing an excellent job of educating our kids.
Submitted by other on August 01, 2012

I just recently graduated from St. Gregs and I personally loved it there. The environment is just so wonderful and it is a great place to grow up. St. Gregs shaped me to be the person I am today. Thank you St. Gregory for a wonderful experience that I surely won't forget.
Submitted by parent on October 15, 2011

I read all reviews and most are quite accurate (sports, partying). The school routinely allows my children to turn in work that is extremely sloppy, misspelled, & with wrong answers. The resulting grades consistently might be 10/10 for some of the garbage my kids will turn in! Never is an assignment redo required! The standards are pathetically low. My kids our out this year! The science curriculum might be ok based upon what I saw at the science fair. I didn't seem to find any environmental brainwashing projects by the students (APGW anthropogenic global warming, pollution, smog, overpopulation...); but, I cannot attest to the science curriculum/quality.