North Middle School - 35

This school is awful. They seem to care more about attendance then academics or the children's safety. When i would speak to someone about how my daughter was doing they would give me very little info and then give me a stack of papers on why attendance was important. She had only been late once for a doctor's appointment. Then winter came with below zero temps. We only had one vehicle and a newborn so I didn't feel walking my daughter to school was a good idea anymore. I let them know she would be a little late some mornings waiting for my husband to get off work. The principle told me to have my autistic 7 year old daughter walk to school by herself. We had never lived in a city before and we don't live in a very safe part of town. Also, she would have to go through a busy intersection and then 10 blocks in that freezing weather. I expressed how and why I felt it was a bad idea and the principle treated me like I was ridiculous. I homeschooled my daughter for the remainder of the year.

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This review is primarily for the PK-5th school, St Elizabeth Seton. We have attended many different Catholic schools around the country. While the classroom environment for most of the teachers seems wonderful, there are, unfortunately, some very glaring exceptions. There a handful of teachers that have been at the school for a long time and they are very obviously the principal's favorites, as the younger and more engaged teachers are constantly being overruled on any changes, advancements, and suggestions by the senior staff. In addition, my child's 5th grade teacher played favorites with a few students (high-profile families), and was hypercritical of most of the other students. So much so, that my child, who previously loved school and got nearly all perfect scores, nearly failed in the classes with that teacher, while still getting all As in every other class. There was also some very troubling bullying, both verbal and physical, happening in several grades while we were there. The principal offered platitudes and said that she would look into issues when we brought them forward, but then follow up with a call explaining why the bullying happened, but with no consequences or plan to stop it or even garner an apology. Only some of the grades get to attend Mass regularly, which was especially discouraging, since this is the only Catholic school option for the area. And there does not seem to be a very strong Catholic culture, at least at the elementary school.We did have some truly wonderful teachers, and the counseling staff were very helpful and involved. There are several academic extracurricular opportunities for the kids.All in all, academically, I feel like our kids could thrive anywhere, so long as we as parents are involved and the teachers are good. One of the primary reasons we pay for Catholic Education is to have our kids surrounded by Catholic culture and values. St Elizabeth Seton doesn't & feels like a elitist private school that just so happens to have a Mass occasionally and has religious statues & pictures. I feel like the principal is the captain of the ship and this principal has been at this school and done things her way so long that she doesn't seem to listen to anyone who disagrees with her. It shows and I will not recommend the elementary school to anyone, so long as that is the case.

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