South Lawrence East Elementary School

My niece attends this school in the kindergarten section. Her teacher is good with her—that much is true, and that is what matters. However, the staff members who greet family members and parents have less-than-ideal attitudes; my experiences there on the occasions I visited were very negative.

They treat my son with the upmost respect and have been teaching him so much! He loves to go to school and ever since he was been attending this school I have seen so much improvement with his speech and behavior!

LCA is a great school for a child to attend. Their curriculum is great and the students learn so much. Plus the teachers are wonderful. Miss Sonia, Miss Wright, Mrs. Beveridge, Mrs. Kathy, Mr. Baez they are all the best! Mr. Hernandez, the principal, is a very kind, respectful, dedicated, intelligent and hard working man. Sister Ellen is so sweet and kind. At LCA the students not only advance academically but they’re also thought compassion, kindness, do good for others, respect, have empathy, and so much more. My child loves going to school and comes out very happy each day and that makes me happy too!

Our experience at St. Michael was deeply disappointing. While the school promotes itself as a values-based Catholic community, in practice it falls far short both morally and academically.Bullying is rampant and largely ignored. Students are allowed to physically hit and push others without real consequences. Despite claiming to have cameras for safety, the administration often claims they “weren’t working” when incidents are reported.The school counselor’s approach is particularly concerning, openly telling students they are the reason they have no friends an incredibly damaging message to vulnerable children. Leadership fails to intervene appropriately, allowing a toxic environment to continue.Additionally, although St. Michael is a Catholic school, it has made decisions regarding same-gender relationships that many families felt were not consistent with the religious foundation they promised when we enrolled. These shifts were made without transparency or meaningful dialogue with the parent community.Nepotism runs rampant affecting both staffing and how issues are addressed and the educational standards are subpar compared to other private and public schools in the area.We ultimately made the decision to leave and could not, in good faith, recommend St. Michael to any family looking for a safe, supportive, and academically strong environment for their child.