Immaculata High School

240 MOUNTAIN AVE

Somerville, NJ 08876

19 Reviews

School District
Grade

9-12
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by other on September 08, 2024

Do not send your kids here, especially if they are white and girls. The school promotes a culture of reverse racism, especially for white girls, and refuses to give extra help or extra credit to white girls. The students are mentally, emotionally and sexually violent against white girls, as are the teachers and the administration does nothing about it. The theology teacher is actually the most mentally abusive and would cry every day before going to school because she's so awful.
Submitted by other on September 01, 2023

This school made me feel absolutely miserable. The teachers bullied me and targeted me personally, even going to the extent of talking badly about me to other students. I transferred out in the middle of my junior year and it was the best decision i have ever made. The administration lacks empathy for neurodivergent students and students with disabilities. I have even had teachers pull up my entire 504 plan on the whiteboard for everyone to see. I was also told by other teachers that I did not deserve my extra time accommodation requested by my doctors. This school has a complete inability to teach theology, we all just sit around and debate politics. Most teachers are not even qualified to be teaching, I had a chemistry teacher for physics and did not begin to learn anything until I transferred out of Immaculata. Do your kid a favor and do not send them here because they will not get the education they need to succeed.
Submitted by student on April 14, 2021

As a student who transferred out of Immaculata High School for sophomore year, I have had a better experience in an averagely rated public school than an "esteemed" private high school. My experience at Immaculata was subpar and a letdown compared to what was promised. I would NOT advise sending your child here. You will find that the staff shows an underwhelming amount of support and the students are egotistical, getting away with far more than they should. The sports, theatrical, and art programs are average and nothing special. However, I will say my experience in the music/band department was quite good.Homework: Fine, mostly busywork.Teachers: Extremely disappointing. The english department, to be blunt, is bad and consists of severely unqualified teachers that fail to instill strong writing, grammatical, and literary skills. A big red flag being that a certain teacher did not even know how to spell the words written on the board half the time. Certain teachers would incessantly yell and get mad over tiny details, and simply be unprofessional. Most especially, the staff in general was absolutely terrible at replying to emails and writing back students/parents when they came across an issue. Leadership: The school had a decent service works program, although I was never personally involved so I cannot speak from firsthand experience.Character: ABSOLUTELY not. A concerningly large amount of students in Immaculata participated in petty gossip, name-calling, and alienating students who were not apart of the main social group of students. There were a lot of cases of teasing, and even bullying, that I've heard of, witnessed, or been victim of.Learning differences: No. I especially noticed students with ADHD were disrespected by both students and staff for their learning and behavioral differences in the classroom and were subject to mockery from students, and were only egged on by teachers. Yes, the teachers participated in the mockery and enabled it most times. Bullying: No. A bundle of teachers let teasing slide and would simply yell but not care if teasing was repeated. Students that actively bullied/harassed/teased other students were easily let off the hook and were often favored by the staff for athletic or educational talents/contributions to the school. Bullying was not taken seriously and the school did not attempt to instill a proper anti-bullying program. The bullying at this school is an issue that needs to be addressed.
Submitted by parent on May 30, 2019

Excellent! All our children differed in their academic needs and the school accommodated them all. They were fully prepared for college and excelled at major universities. They were able to participate in a wide variety of sports and activities without the competition and pressure present at the nearby impersonal public mega-schools. They all participated in the campus ministry program and learned compassion and empathy while serving others.
Submitted by parent on April 24, 2019

Teachers are okay, but don't think they are well prepared for college. Known as pay for your grades. My child didn't have to work too hard to get above average grades. Leadership is TERRIBLE.....
Submitted by parent on November 02, 2018

Horrible! They will never admit their mistakes. They do not write students or parents who complain. You will almost immediately see how their God loving characteristics disappears. Bridgewater school district is pretty good and there are other options. Avoid at any cost if faith is not super important to you. Horrible leaderships and I have heard many parents took out their kids. High ego, toxic environment for kids, and lack of leadership.
Submitted by parent on June 18, 2018

I was very disappointed with our experience. As a working parent, I felt that my children were penalized because my ability to routinely volunteer at the school was limited. My children went on to go to major national universities and they were woefully underprepared. Their writing skills were not well developed and they did not have adequate math skills compared to their university peers.
Submitted by parent on June 14, 2018

He had a miserable experience at I.H.S. it made him hate the entire university.
Submitted by parent on March 04, 2018

My son is a freshman and it is a very welcoming school that values it's students
Submitted by other on March 09, 2017

As a graduate of Immaculata, I was more academically prepared for college than I could have expected -- and moreso than many of my collegiate peers. Perhaps even more importantly, the environment of the school is incomparable. The support - academically, emotionally, and spiritually - goes beyond what our society has come to expect from our high schools. Without question, Immaculata is an outstanding place for young people to prepare themselves for college and life.
Submitted by other on November 08, 2016

Immaculata High School has always been a gem of a high school. I am a graduate and am so grateful for the education and college preparation I received while studying at IHS. The faculty instilled in me a desire to constantly strive for success. Because of them, I never settled for less than my best. The spiritual environment at Immaculata is like no other, and it is something I truly missed upon attending college. Looking back, IHS was definitely the best place for my formative years, due to the care they gave to my mind and soul.
Submitted by other on June 28, 2016

Overall the "family" culture is embracing and helped to ease a stressful transition from public school. Making friends was easy and feeling like you are part of a loving family enriches the adolescence experience. Resources were not as abundant as they were in the public school education system I came from but that did not impact my overall academic experience. The lack of emphasis on college decision making process was disappointing and the support from counselors was minimal.
Submitted by student on October 15, 2015

I had a terrible experience at this school, I ended up dropping out halfway through my freshman year to return to my public school. For starters the administration doesn't know how to do their job and gives little to no support for the students. Also the teachers show no emotions and try and keep everyone in a restricted bubble. There is also a tremendous lack of school spirit, nobody is proud to say they are an Immaculata Spartan. The edication program here isn't good at all. All of the attention is put on sports but none of the sports teams ever do well. All in all I wouldn't recommend anybody for this school
Submitted by other on May 29, 2015

The administration does not do a good job of running a school. They are not flexible nor cater to students.
Submitted by student on April 30, 2014

For a private Catholic school, Immaculata isn't the place it has the potential to be. A ton of focus is put on band and on sports, meanwhile there is a lot to be improved within the school itself. Course options are rather limited, and the academics don't really stand out compared to public schools in the area. Another thing worth mentioning is the lack of school spirit. No one really seems happy to be attending here. There is a good sense of community, though. The volunteer opportunities offered through Campus Ministry are an easy way to serve others and they can be very rewarding experiences. Overall, if you're looking for a school with a great band program, athletics department, or sense of Christian community, this school may be for you. If not... the money could probably be better spent elsewhere.
Submitted by parent on April 10, 2013

IHS is a well rounded school that offers a good breadth of academic, extra curricular , athletic and service programs. The music program is exceptional; the marching band won first place in the state and national competitions in 2012. The teachers and student body are very loyal to the school so there is a sense of community and alumni are great supporters. The school is 50 years old and multiple generations within families send their kids here, which is a testament to the overall satisfaction with their experience. It has a good balance of small and large school attributes. Some old fashioned values which is nice to see. All faiths seem to be respected but obviously the Catholic emphasis is central. The campus is small but they use facilities nearby that you would not know about by just looking at the website. Overall a positive experience so far. Parent involvement is high.
Submitted by other on January 12, 2013

Great School!!! Check out all that they offer. They have a new administration. It's really award-winning. Make up your own mind
Submitted by other on September 27, 2012

Wonderful school. Children form a special bond - they are like a family - Proud to be Catholic and teachiing kids Faith, respect are important
Submitted by student on April 07, 2012

The school really puts more interest in athletics than anything else. Football is basically the staff's only concern during the summer/fall months. Academics are definitely not up-to-par. Many teachers have a monotonous tone when they speak and many students are just not interested. Basically, everyone is on his or her cell phone texting in every single class. No one is really interested in what the teachers have to say, because they are so boring! I would say that some teachers are very kind and helpful but otherwise, no. The religion aspect is okay if you're a catholic. I am not catholic so it was very difficult to take part in many of the religious activities IHS has. If you have a child and want them to have a good education, don't send them to IHS. Academics are just not good!