Starting Gate School

So far my kids are happy. It’s not all up to the school it’s up to us parents as well.

My child has attended this school since Kindergarten. He is in the 6th grade now. The entire staff is kind, professional, informative, and communications at great lengths. During the Covid transitions they have all been very safe and continue to follow guidelines to help keep the kids and staff safe. My child refuses to switch schools because he loves it here.

The staff is great. They are a school community that makes sure to interact with its students. They work hard and the students are safe and happy to be with them. The principal is amazing she really knows all her students and their interests. She provides good support to her staff and students as well as to the parents.

As a former student that graduated in 2020, my experiences here were unpleasant particularly due to bullying and clique-ish behavior from both peers and several teachers/staff members. The academics were not at all challenging and it seemed like anyone could pass a class without trying. There’s few sports, and the school lacks a decent place for kids to have recess besides the Church parking lot. I think there’s one, maybe two (deflated) kickballs in the whole school. Also our only attempt to have a band program lasted less than a year. Probably not worth the enormous sum of money it costs to attend. My mother worked here and was treated horribly by parents and staff. A lot of the issues came down to money, with the school consistently being over budget and mismanaging funds. It truly saddens me to see this previously award winning school fall to where it is today. I really wish I could give my old school a better rating, but a lot of changes would have to occur first.

I could say that this school is the best among the best catholic school in vallejo. Both my kids started here in pre-school and the school impact is really positive. It's because of the family oriented feeling the school community has. The academic and values they learned are exemplary. They apply it everyday how to be loving, fair and caring citizens. They provide competitive curriculum for their students.

My son, in elementary school has been going to this place for a few years now and has really blossomed. I reckon the teachers and folks running the show truly care about the whole kid and want each one to do their very best. The school does a fine job mixing a faith-based learning plan with solid book smarts. They’re big on kindness and respect, and if any kid steps out of line, they nip it in the bud right quick. Us parents are pretty involved and pitch in a lot. They’ve got several safety tricks up their sleeve to keep the kids safe from any outside trouble or harm. The school and church offer extra activities that help the kids build strong friendships that’ll last. The students mostly get what they need to do well, but I think the school could step up its game by bringing in more tech for the young ones. That way, they’d stay up to speed with how kids learn nowadays and how the new generation handles the world, instead of just scolding them without getting where they’re coming from or if they have special needs. (If you have a kid that needs more attention, this isn't the school.) I also figure the school ought to rethink how it connects with parents. They’ve been steady with updates/emails, but it feels like a lot of it’s just about raising cash.