Mount De Sales High School

I'd give it 0 if I could. If you don't mind that they provide "opportunity" for your child earn service hours for walking to a nearby abortion facility to pray outside, then it is definitely the school for you. They peacefully prayer for "all of the victims of abortions and for the conversion of those working in the abortion industry." Oh and they get a "service hour" for each walk to "promote a culture of life in the local community." I do mind and academics don't seem a bit better than our local high school.

I loved the friends that I made and the teachers that I encountered, and they gave me a good education that will help me in the future. Their activities were fun and unique. But this school needs an admin overhaul and a huge shot of diversity. At the time of this writing they are hiring a new VP...let’s pray it’s a millenial.

Humiliating and exhausting. Everything in the school is heavily censored, students are exhausted and overworked, the homework load is insane, students can’t express themselves safely, and many girls who walked in with great time management skills, enthusiasm, and mental health walk out completely stressed and with anxiety disorders or eating disorders. The school puts on a really promising show when there is publicity involved, but they really don’t follow through with that image in reality.

I am now a college freshman and I spent 4 years at Mount de Sales. In all, it was a good school. Over 4 years, our class of 110 became sisters and the friends I made there will last a lifetime. There are many beautiful traditions that truly make it a special place to be. However, there are many aspects of the school that are misrepresented by the admissions staff and several areas that need much improvement. The science and math departments are inadequate, to say the least, if you desire to pursue a career in the sciences. The one phenomenal chemistry teacher I had was basically forced into an early retirement. The AP Chemistry teacher has failed for the past several years to prepare any of her students for the College Board exam, as most barely manage to pass. The AP Biology teacher also had trouble teaching effectively and turned a group of motivated students who loved biology into girls who blew off assignments and dreaded class. The math program is also mediocre- basically, there are two good math teachers in the entire department. When a group of students who did not place into AP Calculus (despite SAT rec) requested a regular or honors level course to prepare them for college, the department head simply claimed that it wasn't that important and that there was nothing she could do. It’s sad to me that many girls who were more than qualified did not gain admission to their top colleges. Last year the entire guidance department was replaced because they missed college deadlines and fought with the administration. Although the new college counselor is phenomenal, many improvements still need to be made in order to provide each girl with sufficient and essential opportunities. Lastly, although the religion department is strong, many girls have been turned off to the catholic faith as the teachers can be too forceful in their beliefs. If you are not constantly in love with your faith or dare to explore a different religion, the teachers will act as though you are ill-advised and even foolish. Mount de Sales has so much potential to become the foremost academic institution in the state! They are already working to improve the classroom experience by incorporating more technology. However, if your goal is to pursue engineering, physics, computer science or any other subject in that area, you might want to consider looking elsewhere for now.

This school is fantastic. I have watched my little girl turn into a confident and competent young woman with a life mission.