Irving Park

Unprofessional teachers and staff. Would not recommend.

Staff seems to be so overworked or unhappy at this school. However, this should not be clear to the parents and students. My son’s first grade teacher (at Lindley) failed my child when it came to his academic success and support. Since I have transferred his school, his new teacher has been updating on much improvement. Sadly, it took me transferring for this to occur. Good luck with this school.

We had an absolutely horrible experience with this school. Our sweet, smart, 5 year old was kicked out of this school because the teacher did not know how to handle a child with ADHD. The way our son was treated - as well as my husband and I - is not something I wish on any family. We were very upfront about the ADHD diagnosis and we were assured it would be no problem. As it turns out, the teacher and support staff are not willing to work through any “issues”. I would HIGHLY suggest looking for another school if your child has any sort of diagnosis such as ADHD, if they have difficulty sitting still, if they occasionally cry, if they get excited and talk out of turn, or if they like to run around at recess. It was suggested that our son was not at the intellectual level of the rest of the class because he wanted to play tag at recess when all the other kids were making up a different game. He was a 5 year old boy at the time. Tag is a completely age appropriate game to play at recess. To put it in perspective, he is now absolutely thriving at a different school, and his current teachers have nothing but positive things to say about his behavior and the level of his academics. He was not the problem. This school was. Please consider your choice carefully to place your children at St. Pius.

While there are caring teachers and wonderful families within the community, our overall experience was marked by instability, horrible leadership, non-existent communication, and a culture that felt more controlling than supportive. As a parent, you will be ignored and will not have your concerns met or resolved. This is not a single experience but an undercurrent of the school.There is constant turnover among faculty. In three years, my middle schooler lost 100% of his core teachers! That level of instability impacts students academically, emotionally, and socially. Families are leaving for other schools or homeschooling, which speaks volumes.Recess is frequently limited as punishment, reflecting a misunderstanding of child development. The tone used toward students feels demeaning rather than nurturing.Academically, programs like STREAM, Spanish, and art often lacked consistency and structure. Teachers instruct outside their expertise and teaching licensure is not required. For a school promoting academic excellence, this raises important questions about standards and priorities. The most significant issue is leadership and communication. Responses from administration are often dismissive or nonexistent. Concerns are not investigated and emails/calls are not returned.One particularly troubling experience involved a bullying concern regarding my child. After emailing the principal directly, with no response, my child was called into the office alone and questioned without my knowledge. He was not offered the support of a parent or advocate. This felt highly inappropriate and demonstrated a serious lack of professionalism and parental communication.These issues extended to church and diocesan leadership, who also ignore concerns. Families deserve accountability, communication, and leadership willing to engage directly with difficult situations.There is a strong perception within the community that influence and treatment are tied to social standing or financial contribution. Gossip, judgment, and social politics often overshadow the values of compassion, humility, and inclusion the school claims to promote.While there are teachers who genuinely care, this experience significantly changed our trust in the school and in Catholic education.We wanted this experience to succeed and hoped for an environment that would support, challenge, and nurture our children while modeling the love of Jesus. That expectation was not met.