Valley River Center

Sending my child to O’Hara Catholic School has been a deeply heartbreaking and disappointing experience.When you sacrifice nearly $1,000 a month per child, you expect a nurturing environment. Instead, tuition spikes every year while classrooms grow more crowded than local public schools. The financial strain is relentless. Fees skyrocket out of nowhere like the facilities fee jumping to $275, and the pressure for donations is constant. On top of that, working families are penalized by a rigid 32-hour volunteer mandate. If you cannot fulfill it, you are charged an extra $1,600 a year.It is deeply concerning how little support the children actually receive. Despite the premium price tag, there is no school nurse, no counselor. Academically, the curriculum is weak and inconsistent. We, along with many other families, have to pay out of pocket for private tutors just to fill the gaps. There are no world languages and no meaningful cultural education.Most devastatingly, the school has lost its soul. Despite the Catholic label, it does not feel faith-centered. The environment feels less like a spiritual community and more like a flashy, superficial business. You are paying for status and appearances, not academic excellence or authentic values. Our children deserve so much more.