St. Francis International School

1500 Saint Camillus Drive

Silver Spring, MD 20903

19 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on February 06, 2023

My kids attended SFIS for many years. Not only were they extremely well prepared for high school, but SFIS and its amazing teachers have helped them become loving human beings with strong leadership skills.SFIS is an amazing school and I strongly recommend their Pre-K pepgram!
Submitted by parent on December 17, 2019

We have loved our experience at SFIS. Our kids are receiving great education and also discipline and values!
Submitted by parent on March 19, 2018

My experience at the school has been a roller coaster. These teachers are hit or miss. Every other year your child might get lucky to have a caring teacher that you feel they are really learning from and that really understands that every child is different. I am just tired of this school and I believe a lot of parent are because enrollment continues to decline as the kids get closer to middle school which says something about the teachers/staff. The school needs a serious attitude adjustment and better teachers if not SFIS will not survive.
Submitted by parent on February 01, 2017

St Francis is a wonderful community! My children have been attending the school for a few years now. The teachers are very caring and dedicated to the formation of the whole child - mind, body and spirit. In addition to a rigorous curriculum and wonderful teachers, they have great community-building events, fun extracurricular activities, and a welcoming environment. We highly recommend it!The only area that could use some improvement is the engagement of other parents dedicated to making the school even better, and I'm optimistic that this is improving.
Submitted by principal on May 04, 2016

SFIS a national award winning Catholic schools in its sixth year since we merged the former St. Mark and St. Camillus School communities together. We have gone through a huge amount of growth and change since opening in 2010. Our programs are very strong and our reputation for being a caring community that serves a diverse population of students is well known. We continue to grow as a school community and our future is very bright!
Submitted by teacher on January 06, 2016

The atmosphere is unhealthy. Teachers treat children bad and aren't willing to take the time to go the extra mile to make sure children are learning. All this place cares about is your tuition. Aftercare needs to have structure to maybe help kids to do assignments and learn. It should be just a daycare setting. Especially when you pay so much for your child to get a proper education. For a Catholic school, the moral doesn't seem to fit what Catholic schools usually stand for. I won't say much but there are some very dishonest staff that work there.
Submitted by parent on October 16, 2014

I am very disappointed with this school. It does not seem the administrations is on the same page. After the Brother left the school there does not seem to be any life. Why has there been so much turnover of teachers? Why did five teachers quite since the beginning of the school. I only see the principals in their offices. The teachers seem to care, but why do they leave?
Submitted by parent on May 05, 2014

This school offers great academic and culture programs. The teachers and school staff are great and very pleasant to work with our kids.
Submitted by parent on April 15, 2014

All Staff and Teachers are warm, welcoming, and communicate very well! My daughter is in the PK4 class and has learned a great deal while also having the balance of fun play. I would highly recommend this school.
Submitted by parent on April 12, 2014

We are so pleased with SFIS! My two elementary aged children have blossomed at this school - I have never felt like they were "just one of many." The teachers take a holistic approach, being academically rigorous while also attending to the social and cultural aspects of schooling. Since coming to SFIS, my children have participated in sports, sang in concerts, attended weekly Mass, and volunteered in the community. My son and daughter both read before Kindergarten as a result of support from their teachers. The staff and administration are hardworking and accessible, and the community has been energetic and engaging! In the past year or so, SFIS has stepped up its communications with parents, updated classrooms and technology, and added new support staff that has been invaluable for our son, who has a diagnosed learning disability. We asked several Catholic schools in the area if he would be supported, and SFIS was the only one we felt understood his needs and ours! We are lucky to have this little Catholic school!
Submitted by other on March 22, 2014

I'm a student of middle school at SFIS. The teachers... Some of them are just rude! The Social Studies teacher legit does not care about us or our grades. She gives us 40 questions to which we have to answer with at least 3 sentences. She also critiques every little thing! She regularly makes people in my class cry. I'm not even exaggerating with that. The First In Math teaches us nothing. The teachers give us ridiculous goals and then tell us not to be on the computer so long. The food,well,some of it is ok,but other things give a lot of people terrible stomach aches. Plus,some of the things they say about puberty just don't make sense. As far as I was told,I have barely anything to do with the making of the baby except for the beginning part. Thanks,goodbye.
Submitted by parent on January 21, 2014

My kids are in the elementary program at SFIS and we are always amazed at the great things going on. My second grader is really being challenged in math, First is Math is awesome! My Kindergartner is really becoming a strong reader. The teachers my kids have had have been amazing: loving and challenging. My kids like the cafeteria food (as much as anyone likes cafeteria food). The breakfast for all students this year has been great, really convenient for us. The school has been really responsive to my family's needs and I see them working with a lot of families to make private school possible. The school itself has a lot of students and staff, but children's grades feel small.
Submitted by parent on January 18, 2014

Worst School ever! My daughter social studies teacher is the rudest and don't get me started about the lunch! My daughter had to go home because of a bad stomach ache after eating that lunch. The Middle school old religion teach couldn't use mannerly towards toward them. The teachers doesn't know how to teach students.Fights are going on, principals don't care, and the P.E teacher is the worst all rude! .I'm sending my child to another school.
Submitted by parent on May 16, 2012

I do not recommend St. Francis school at all. I have had several children go through the original Saint Camillus school and I considered it a blessing to part of the community. After 6 weeks into the new school I knew I had to remove my child from that enviroment. All of the St. Camillus teachers were moved down into the lower school and many of the favorite teachers were forced to retire. There was no recognisable interest of the middle school teachers in the academic progress of the St. Camillus students. this was very clear in the comments and behavior of the middle school teachers. As a parent I was very disturbed by my inability to get an appt with the principal and the administrative office was a mess. There was a breakdown in behavior and most of the teachers in the middle school thought it was fine to shout and rant at the students. The most disturbing fact was the bullying... The school needs to return to its Catholic value system. International means nothing when you are part of the diverse Washington DC area. Parents and students are looking for a good moral academic experience - you will not find it here.
Submitted by parent on March 11, 2012

I am so glad that my son is attending St. Francis International School. He is in the Early Childhood Program. The teachers are very caring and dedicated to the students. They care for the children as if they are their own kids. I have seen the growth in my son and St. Francis has been a positive contributor to his growth. I like the class size, two (2) teachers in each class, and the activities the children participate in daily. I also appreciate the diversity. There are many backgrounds in the classroom which is good. One of the improvements I would like to see is more parent participation. I see the SAME parents volunteering their time or working with the classroom. If we want to see SFIS continue to progress, we must have parental support. I pay my tuition just like everyone else and I want what is best for my son by giving my time and support to SFIS. We cannot move forward without the support of parents. You are a part of the investment you are making to SFIS and your involvement is very important. Be involved and know what is going on parents!! Overall, I am happy with SFIS and would recommend the school to others. My son loves his school and he's 4 years old!
Submitted by parent on March 08, 2012

My child had a terrible experience at St. Francis Intl. in their middle school. It was SFI first year merged between St. Camillus and St. Mark's schools, and we expected some expectations for the school to get organized. The school has some very bright and dedicated students. However, there is a lot of bullying and disprespect among the students and towards the teachers as well. Teachers cannot control their students, and the principal doesn't follow through with parents with serious concerns that complain to the school and to the church. Needless to say, we did not return to this school, which was the best decision we could have made. We hope SFI continues to find a way to control their misbehaved students to stop this unacceptable cycle in a Catholic environment, where Respect and Safety should be a priority. Do a thorough research before deciding to enroll your child in this school.
Submitted by parent on May 04, 2011

I love this school for my 4 year old daughter. She is in the pre-k class and it has been the best investment thus far for her education. She has learned so much this past year and continues to amaze me all the material they cover. She knows how to count from 1 to 100, colors, abc s English/Spanish, shapes, grouping, and so much more. She can spell her name and recognizes the spelling based on the sounds of a word. I really like her teacher Ms. Prema. She is caring and will let them know what they are and are not doing right. I am Christian not Catholic per se, but a Christian and I love the teachings of our Savior. The school has outstanding activities and programs all year long. The communication with parents its pretty good and they are incorporation more online technology. It s a nice campus and clean, I really have no bad things to say. You get what you pay for and more when you see your child s success.
Submitted by parent on April 21, 2011

St. Camillus in now St. Francis International School. I do not recommend this school for 3 year olds. I enrolled my 3 year old after being told that the teacher/student ratio would be 1:8. Because of last minute enrollment drop-outs, the school combined classes but did not increase the teacher ratio and my 3 year was placed in a class with 24 others with 1 teacher and 1 aide. When asked about this issue, the Principal said that because of their long, excellent teaching history, they were granted an exemption by the State to have a higher ratio than what is required for Daycares. Absolute bologna. Even the teacher expressed how overwhelmed she was and wasn't able to provide enough attention to the students. I ended up pulling my son out. The only saving grace with this school is the Front Office Administrative staff (not including the principal).
Submitted by parent on March 17, 2011

This is a great school!!! The teachers are wonderful. Their program is pretty competitive and the we love the diversity!!! I honestly believe this is one of the best schools in this area.
Submitted by student on August 26, 2008

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