Great school. My kids love it. teachers are friendly and patient. Looking forward for the years to…read morecome. Highly recommend

St. Francis de Sales HS is a school on the upswing. The work of Principal Roni Facen (an alum…read moreherself) has brought new life and energy to the building. Recent improvements to the library, cafeteria, weight room, and Gymnasium building are just the start. Enrollment is increased by 30% this year--just a sign of the renaissance of the school. AP subjects include English Literature and Composition, English Language and Composition, US History, and Biology. Honors courses are offered in most subject areas. Class sizes are small (generally fewer than 18 students/class) with opportunities for 1:1 tutoring and other support services with classroom teachers and support staff. Charity and charism are part and parcel of the school's mission and philosophy. As such, students give of themselves through many different outreach opportunities such as our monthly food drives, COVID-19 testing and vaccination days, mental health support and awareness community events, and Ecology/environmental outreach at Big Marsh Park and other nearby wetlands. Students are warm and welcoming to each other. It is a supportive, loving environment for learning. Sports have always been a keystone activity. Recent options include Soccer, Basketball, Track, Baseball, Softball, Volleyball, and Cheer & Dance. Activities offered include Photography Club, Anime Club, Gaming Club, Students in Action (Multiplying Good), Weightlifting and Ecology Club. Occasional grant funded programs provide even more opportunities such as a Build-a-Bike class.

Unfortunately, this school has gone downhill significantly. It feels like many of the good teachers…read morehave left, and the overall quality and professionalism have declined. Communication is a major issue -- emails often go unanswered, messages left with the main office don't get returned.

I spent the second half of my grade school years here, before it was called an Academy. Back in…read morethe day it was just John H. Vanderpoel (poel pronounced pool) elementary school, which served grades K-8. No middle school back then, and grade school to high school was a big jump. No buses then, either. We walked to school. In the dead of winter, we walked. It wasn't far for me, though, about 5 blocks down quiet streets lined with huge trees. We lived next-door to my grandparents, who had lived in Beverly since before my mother was born, so I'm thinking my mom went to Vanderpoel, too, but I can't remember for sure. But I do remember the school, a 3-story old brick building that included swings on the playground. I remember my teachers, I remember the gym that doubled as an auditorium, I remember my classmates. The school was named after John H. Vanderpoel (in 1910?) as was Vanderpoel Ave., the street behind the school. John Vanderpoel, born in 1857 in the Netherlands, was an influential artist and taught at the Art Institute of Chicago for 20 years beginning in 1880. Georgia O'Keeffe was one of his students. She praised him as a teacher. Vanderpoel's book, "The Human Figure", was published in 1907. BOY could he draw in pencil & charcoal. Until 1929, his works were housed in the school, then moved to nearby Ridge Park Field House & displayed in the art gallery named after him. Vanderpoel School is indeed part of Beverly's rich history & I loved it there. I loved my neighborhood, my friends, my school, and the simplicity of growing up back in the day (not saying how long ago but it was....long ago). I still have many of my grade school papers & projects. Wow, so different from the work kids do today. Example: a geography project for a state (or country?) that exported cotton. In addition to a written essay, I glued a hunk of cotton to one of the pages. I got an "E" for excellent, no "A" back then at this school. My favorite class: art. I also took kiddie art classes at the Art Institute & then majored in Fine Art in college. I went on to have an art gallery in a Chicago suburb. I'm guessing Mr. Vanderpoel would like that. I'm guessing I would have liked Mr. Vanderpoel.

My cousin use to come here. This is one High School that creates competitive students. They have a…read morereally tough football team and every year they show their commitment. What I do like about this school is that it seems to (contrary to popular demand) cater to their students in a way that many public schools seem to miss. They really take their kids seriously, and although they have a bad rap, it doesn't seem this way to parents. They have a football field (a few blocks away from the school) and the kids are always practicing. The actual school is still in its vintage look, but with modern updates to make sure that they are still caught up with other schools. I use to come around to pick up relatives who went here and often times I would volunteer. All in all, not a bad school, just that sometimes a few rufians mess up the reputation but the school can stand on its own.

I attended Hubbard and I had a great experience attending such a diverse school. I had the…read moreopportunity to meet and make friends with students from many different backgrounds. Class of "84"

My son Transferred from a wonderful Montessori school in South Holland that he was aging out of. I…read morehad planned to research schools for him to attend in a year after he completed 3rd grade, his final year at the Montessori school. I visited this school and one other nearby private school. The first private school I visited costed less, but the administrator was very abrasive. Without ever meeting my son or looking at his grades, she told me that my son may not do well, because of the school he was transferring from. Then she began to bad mouth his school and told me that if he couldn't keep up, i would need to pay someone outside of the school to tutor him, and that if that didn't work, the school would kick him out. When she learned that I was not enrolling him until the next year, she tried to pressure me to enroll him right away. It was NOT a pleasant experience. THEN, I reached out to Calvin Christian School. I liked what I saw on their website. And the admissions administrator, Tanya,, called me right away. We arranged to meet and she spent a substantial amount of time answering my questions. She also pointed out the additional assistance the school offers to ensure that every child succeeds. She told me that in the spirit of Christ, it is their goal to make sure that they meet each child where they are and help build them up. I truly felt the love of God in this place. From Principal Moes who knows each child by name and takes the time to get know then personally, to the kids and their families- who are very welcoming and Christ-like. I was so imp that I enrolled my son that year, even though I hadn't planned to. He attended for 6 years and graduated in 2020. Sidenote: he did not need extra help, as the previous school had asserted he would. He is now attending high school in his sophomore year and is taking all honors and AP classes and earning all "A"s. He ranked #2 of 498 freshmen. And Calvin prepared him to excel at the next level. Highly recommend this school!

Calvin Christian is an awesome school. My daughter has been going there since Pre-K 4 and will be…read moregraduating from the 8th grade this year. Calvin Students receive a top notch education in a Christian environment. One thing I personally will miss next year when my daughter enters high school will be the leadership of Principal Randy Moes. Principal Moes is truly a man of honor and integrity. I would recommend Calvin Christian to anyone. My only regret is that the school doesn't go up to high school.

Both my children attended here, albeit 13 years apart. It's a wonderful place to educate young…read morepeople. There are so many programs available, too. Then, the sprawling campus allows for the students to get a semi-collegiate feel. I loved the school, the faculty, and staff. When I moved to the area 34 years ago, I checked to make sure we were in HF's school zone.

It is a great day to be a Viking! This phenomenal school has been the heart of the community for…read moreover 50 years. Offering 31 sports and 160 clubs with an International Baccalaureate , concentration in the arts, and Project Lead The Way engineering curriculums to name a few.

FCC Preschool is Amazing! The clean, warm, and inviting atmosphere make it an ideal place for any…read morechild to learn. Their teachers genuinely care about the children and they go above and beyond to help them grow and develop both socially and emotionally as well as academically. They truly mean it when they say they focus on okay based learning. The extra curricular activities are awesome and are a great way to help your child make new friends. This is a loving community of parents and teachers focused on the positive growth and development of our children. Cannot say enough wonderful things about this school!!

The church has a nice facility for preschool and the director was always very responsive when I…read morefirst met with the school. The standard of education is also very high and reflected when teacher's present your child's work, improvements and what is expected for their grade level, I think that is a big plus. Unfortunately, this school did not work out for us. The teacher was nice but I did not care for the assistant teacher. It seemed the students were a drag and burden for her, particularly when they needed help. She kind of groaned, rolled her eyes at the thought of winter when preschoolers most likely need help with their coats and boots. These are preschoolers I speak of here but the mentality was figure it out on your own. Now I understand parent responsibility but this was to another degree. It was pretty much a disgust face by her with hand washing, where other preschools help the kids. Not saying teacher is supposed to wash the kids hands but just being present & helping if needed. I had a meeting with them about our son which could have been best resolved with them saying my son was not ready for preschool or that he needed a shorter schedule. I have now learned that happens where children just need another year before they start preschool or maybe just need a shorter schedule, but it was implied like something was wrong with him. We immediately took him out of the school. I was very dissapointed. We ended up commuting to a preschool the following year 30 minutes from where we lived that worked way better and was worth it, given the distance. My son is now happily in 1st grade and an avid reader. When it comes to education especially in the area of early education and young children, a passion or care for small children should be a factor. The atmosphere should also be inviting and positive where teachers have a genuine interest to teach kids. This was my first born and new experience. With that said, it is red flag when teachers express any disdain for students, especially for preschoolers who are learning what school is like. Looking back, I believe the teachers were inexperienced and not qualified. I would not recommend this preschool.

I am currently a senior and I love going to Kennedy. Yes, there may be fights here and there, but…read morethose fights quickly come to an end. The food is excellent. Kennedy has welcome new teachers and staff members over the last 2 years.

If I could give this school zero stars I would. I know have my third child going to this school…read more It's been six years since I first step foot into this school and I am becoming more and more unhappy at all the bad situations that happen at this school. I wish that my daughter hadn't decided to go here, she had the opportunity to go somewhere else. She was registered and classes all set up for her to start school but had a falling out with a friend and said she wanted to switch to Kennendy. If you Google this school you will find a few stories of these terrible situations but they aren't all there in the news and I'm not talking about FB news feed. Almost every single time I am at the school there is a fight. And no that isn't normal. There is a huge bullying problem too! My daughter that graduated last year was a victim and even though it was reported and the police were in the room at the time when they told the student to stop or else they would step in it still went on. I'm not posting this to "cry/whine" about the school but to help other parents.

Every year I'm surprised HMPK isn't maxed out and turning families away by the dozens. This year I…read morelooked online and realized we (the Hello parents) have done a terrible job of keeping current with reviews! And yes, Jennifer's tone is what it is. It's a family business, so that isn't going to change. But that feels like such a tiny part of my Hello experience- maybe a half dozen emails a year? The teachers do a great job communicating with parents but it isn't primarily on email. It's in person at pick up or drop off, it's notes home (sometimes handwritten!), it's three detailed parent-teacher conferences each year, and it's the option to visit on "take your family to school" days. If you are online desperately trying to read between the lines to figure out what will work for your family (I've been there!), set up a tour and meet Ms. Natalee. You won't regret it.

I truly love this school and Ms. Amanda and Natalie. I'm originally from Michigan and my support…read moresystem with my kids is ver little, both of these teachers stepped in and help me with my son. They would open the school early and stay late to help me with my work schedule. My son started this school when he was only 4 and after 3months of attending Hello, he knew his colors, letters and number. When he graduated from kindergarten, he knew his letters numbers, shapes, continents ,sight words, and could read. My daughter will be attending the school this Winter when she turns 3 and I can't wait to be back with Hello. I truly recommend this school.