St. Joseph Catholic School

6500 Highland Drive

Vancouver, WA 98661

17 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on February 25, 2025

Absolutely a great school. Teachers care and enjoy teaching. All teachers and students are very respectful.
Submitted by parent on October 04, 2024

This is an amazing school and my 3 kids are doing great. Don’t be fooled by the OLD reviews on here that do not reflect the strong culture and community this school has. Do a tour and see for yourself. Best decision I ever made to get my kids out of public school and at St Joes. I’ve been very happy for the past 6 years (including the preschool) Catholic values are strong. Kids all have a large group of friends that move up grade levels together, and I know every teacher by name. The principal (Mrs Yamoh) has been AMAZING!! I love this school.
Submitted by parent on August 10, 2022

All roads lead to the leaders. Four principles in five years. Same Priest. If you are seeking refuge from public schools, this is not the place. At least in public schools you have a teacher present at PTO and Administration is accountable to honesty and transparency upon request. Running away from CRT, DEI, Student Data Mining and looking for classics, Truth, solid Catholic education? This is not the place. The Archdiocese is hook line and sinker for all of the new secular theology. Look diligently at the Archdiocese website and association support links. See what the school will follow.Need to see how the priest is going to shepherd your children? There are plenty of YouTube videos and homilies for you to preview. This is the theology that will be taught. Comparison on homilies to other parishes may be helpful or insightful?The children will never be able to erase the memory of poor adult classroom/emotional management, poor adult enforcement of Covid restrictions through intimidation and even to read/watch books that are anti-Christian teachings.This does not even cover their Covid behavior. Please ask them why students were given end of a year survey and not the parents. Ask them why students were asked if they wanted books or preferred PowerPoint presentations and not the parents? Ask them why their mission states and catholic teaching is, ‘parents are the primary educators’ but refuse and quietly hide so much?If you read this, please pray for this school, for they are responsible and culpable for so many developing souls.Please pray for the teachers who may have battles with conscience in the way they are being directed. May they always remember their original call to their vocation and the good, beautiful and truth it invoked.Please pray for the priest for openness to the catholic understanding of parents as primary educators and for holy shepherding of the little ones.Pray for parents that they may not be told they were divisive, disloyal and disobedient. May they always remember their parental vocation.From one parent to another, even after this review it has been researched and discerned this is the right place, Glory to God. For His Will always leads to the right way.
Submitted by parent on November 22, 2021

St.Joes is a great school. We placed our oldest here in 2019 when our local school was really lacking in leadership and felt very chaotic. My kids love it here and we have been so supported by the staff and leadership here in the last two years through the pandemic and all of its challenges. The teachers we have worked with have been responsive, supportive and effective. The art, music, computer and Spanish classes are all taught by great teachers twice a week.
Submitted by parent on April 20, 2020

Extremely disappointing. I gave it a couple of years but it only got worse. There is a poor sense of community, unfriendly staff and teachers, the education is mediocre, and overall a disappointing experience. It left me and my kiddos with a bad taste for school, which is not how it should be. Don’t waste your time or money.
Submitted by parent on January 27, 2019

a joke. Im ashamed to have given them so much time blood and tears.
Submitted by parent on April 19, 2018

Amazing. We would do it all over again. I encourage anyone seeking a private education in Vancouver, Catholic or not, to attend St. Joe's. You won't be disappointed.
Submitted by parent on September 29, 2017

This is a great school with caring teachers who stay up to date with new techniques and truly appreciate each child's unique personality and learning style. We have been immensely happy with our children's social, emotional and learning experience!
Submitted by parent on August 10, 2017

Great values, students, staff, teachers and school for those who want a well-rounded education!
Submitted by parent on April 24, 2016

The teachers, principal, and support staff are all great at communicating needs, encouraging parent involvement, and protecting the children. They challenge the kids to achieve higher standards and focus on their strengths.
Submitted by parent on April 17, 2015

I have 3 children who have attended St Joseph and have been a parent there for almost 15 years. I've seen all the changes; ups, downs, huge movements of staff and all sorts of "scandals" and "issues". Through all these years, anytime I have been worried or concerned, Lesley Harrison has helped ease my fears and my children felt no repercussions. My oldest started the same year Lesley came to St Joseph, and he was accepted to both his first choice high school and college. He made lifelong friends from kindergarten and is still in contact with teachers and staff from St Joesph. In the end, the happiness and success of your child is truly what matters, not one idiot teacher or a rough semester. My kids are happy, successful, and loved at St. Joes.
Submitted by parent on February 01, 2015

Great Teachers, Great School. Love it. 2 kids enrolled and will be there until high school
Submitted by parent on October 20, 2014

I have 4 kids that attend St. Joseph school. My kids love it there. It not only prepares them academically, but spiritually as well. My kids are challenged there. They have teachers that care about them. I think it is a wonderful community! The changes they made in our middle school are excellent! Go cardinals!!!
Submitted by other on July 01, 2014

This school is seriously falling apart. They are losing many students and teachers and are combining the 6th,7th, and 8th grade students together. In the past they have had the sixth graders separated from the seventh and eighth graders. I am truly disappointed to see the students go through this due to the fault of the faculty. They are laying off some of the best teachers due to this tragedy. I do not understand how all of this happened but all I know is that this school will eventually fall like Pompeii.
Submitted by parent on November 26, 2013

I love the teachers at this school and all of the admin. Hard school? Yes. It is a Catholic School and it is supposed to be. Lots of homework? Yes. I know some parents have a huge sense of entitlement because we pay tuition, but cut these teachers some slack! So 6th grade is hard. Think of the lessons on responsibility that your kids are going to walk away with. Some parents will just never be happy unless they straight up get to tell the principal how to do her job....and she jumps through flaming hoops to show her appreciation for their money. Thank you St. Joe's for teaching my child responsibility and to give back to others.
Submitted by parent on June 25, 2013

It is quite painful for me to say this, but St. Josephs is in decline over the past few years. We have 3 children who spent a total of 15 years attending St. Josephs. The last few years were sad to watch, as the Principal Mrs Harrison, alienated so many good teachers they either quit, went elsewhere, or retired. The attitude towards customer service from the leadership, is completely lacking. The Physical Education teacher (Ms. Jayne), is a train wreck, who often finds a way to make PE painful for the kids, and cant seem to go a single week without kicking kids out of class. Hundreds of parents have complained to the Principal about Ms. Jayne, but it has fallen on deaf years. If your kids go here, trust me you will see this for yourself. The teachers in the 7th and 8th grade classes, are top notch and do a wonderful job preparing kids for high school. Most parents have found that the 6th grade teachers (Pech and Wilder), do not work well together, and their teaching and organizational skills leave a lot to be desired (I have heard several parents complain that their kids grades plummeted under these two in 6th grade, and at least one almost failed the 6th grade completely).
Submitted by parent on January 29, 2013

St. Joe's is a wonderful school. My daughter has been going here for almost 3 years now and it has been just wonderful. Everyone is so helpful and strive for the well-being of the child. I would not even think of sending her anywhere else. Good Job!