St. Peter Catholic School

Growing up going to Catholic schools I wasn't sure what to expect at CCLS. I can honestly say I would work 5 jobs if I had to so my kids could attend K-8. Our experience has been that good. The staff are excellent, the curriculum is challenging and rewarding to our kids, and the community is beyond anything I have ever experienced. CCLS is one of a kind and the association churches as well. I feel very blessed that we found CCLS.

Our son thoroughly enjoys going to school at Villa di Maria. He is always excited to go to school and has a very cheerful attitude about learning. As an early elementary student, he is learning to be accountable for his work, set goals for his learning, and has a great sense of camaraderie about his classroom community. The student population has also become more diverse in recent years and we really appreciate this. The campus is beautiful and children build forts in the woods during recess or play soccer on the field. While students are very motivated, it is not a competitive environment. There are also great evening activities a few times a year and it is easy to get to know other parents. The tuition, compared to other schools in the area, is very reasonable. We feel very lucky to be a part of this school.

I'll preface this that I am a full supporter of public schools and do not like that I have to use a private school. Generally speaking I really like this school. The head of school is fantastic and very engaged. There are teachers that I don't love, and practices I don't love (e.g., silent time during lunch for 3-4 year olds). I gave a special education child and there has been a range of interest in accomodations. I think it varies how that type of stuff is handled here, depending on the teacher. We had one that went out of her way to accommodate and another that didn't seem interested at all.The school is a little cliquey, where everyone knows each other. If you are new to the local private school scene and not a parent super involved with the school, you might feel out of place. There is reasonable diversity, although nothing like the actual demographics of St Louis.I am undecided if I keep my child here in the future or go public.

Mary Queen of Peace is an outstanding parochial school option. A few positive points - small class sizes, spacious facilities, excellent teaching staff, new administration (2020) has already done great work and gotten the school several hundred thousand dollars in government grants for technology upgrades, faith based curriculum instills values from an early age. A few differentiators - the kids do homework, take tests/quizzes, and are given real report cards. While some argue that there is not a benefit from homework, the work ethic they are developing seems like a critically important life skill to me. As a parent, I want to know how much children is scoring on their work. Real grades are important. The younger classes seem to have a good balance of 2 working parent households which has resulted in better aftercare run by the teachers. I'm very happy with our choice to send our kids to MQP!