St Mary Elementary School

Horrible experience.....Teachers do not genuinely care for the students. Don't be fooled by the fake smiles.

Very responsive and supportive principal. This school takes parent concerns very seriously! Every time I have emailed about anything the response is prompt and thorough. We had an incident with another student and it was taken very seriously and respectfully. Not sure why the scores are so low on here. Both my kids are minorities and test very high academically and get good grades. I know the behavioral disorder program for the region is now housed here. I wonder if that’s why? I feel like students in the BD program struggle no matter where they are due to their personal challenges.

Our family’s experience at Noonan Academy ultimately led us to withdraw our children in the middle of the school year, a decision that was not made lightly.While no school is without challenges, what concerned us was a pattern of issues involving student behavior, staff responses, and administrative handling of serious matters. Situations that we believed warranted careful attention and sensitivity were instead met with responses that felt dismissive or minimizing. Over time, this created a growing sense of unease regarding student support, fairness, and accountability.We also encountered significant confusion regarding the school’s governance and external oversight. Information provided to parents regarding diocesan recognition and involvement was later contradicted by the Diocese itself, which made it difficult to understand the school’s accountability structure. Transparency in these matters is critically important for families.Additionally, classroom structure, staffing, and student-to-teacher dynamics did not consistently align with our expectations based on representations made to parents. Clear and accurate communication about these elements is essential when evaluating a school environment.During that same school year, we observed multiple families withdrawing their children mid-year. While every family’s decision is personal, witnessing these departures contributed to our concern that some of the issues we experienced may not have been isolated.Trust between families and a school is foundational. Once that trust eroded, it became increasingly difficult to feel confident that our children’s emotional safety and overall experience were being adequately safeguarded.I encourage prospective families to ask detailed questions about governance, oversight, and classroom structure when considering Noonan Academy.

This school does not value its students especially those with special needs as individuals with potential. Instead of prioritizing education and emotional growth their focus seems far more on funding and financial gain. Children who are already at risk deserve compassion patience and personalized support. Unfortunately in my experience this school operates more like a business than an educational environment which is deeply concerning for a place entrusted with the care of vulnerable students. It is also telling that this school has been involved in numerous lawsuits which speaks volumes about how they operate and treat the families they are supposed to serve.