We absolutely loved this school. We were immediately contacted after submitting our application and they made the process an easy one. My son, Alex was met with kindness and positivity from the staff and all the kids in his grade. He never had a problem with anyone. They have many activities for the kids and their families with plenty of volunteer opportunities. Super communication from Mrs Marsh and all of the teachers. They even have an app that the parents can use to communicate with one another. Holy Spirit is very much a family that we were proud to be apart of. We will definitely miss this school. Such a blessing! read more

Our kids went to this school for many years and under previous leadership it was great! The Preschool was great & the school was wonderful. Then principals changed yearly sometimes mid year, the Preschool director changed, and the kindergarten teacher retired. My child didn't have a productive year in kindergarten. The teacher couldn't control the class and homework was taken from a Pinterest idea. For the money paid it was a waste. Preschool, my child had a traumatic experience and would refuse to go after a month. My child was so excited to start school and go and that all changed. My child started feeling petrified of the school director. What was once before a loving community gradually turned into an environment where the kids felt isolated and insecure. For a place that is teaching about the love, nonjudgmental acceptance and mercy of the Lord didn't set an exemplary environment. read more

Holy Spirit School - Elementary Schools Near Me - Fremont, California

I have two daughters' attending Holy Spirit School. They are currently in 2nd and 4th grade. There is one grade per class and each class can hold 36 students. The reason this large capacity works out so well is each grade K-5th has a Teacher's Aid. In addition, all of the children are split up into smaller groups for music, computers, math, library, composition and science. Yes, 39 parent volunteer hours are required per family, per year. As a kindergarten parent new to the school with both my husband and I working full-time, I panicked that I wouldn't complete all those hours. But, there are so many opportunities to get hours I shouldn't have worried. Doing projects at home, going on field trips, helping out at yard duty during your lunch hour, evening committee meetings and weekend events, which usually include the children, all go toward your parent hours. Plus, you meet the other parents in the process, which is a good thing. The community of parents at HSS is wonderful. Parents help each other out. If I need my younger daughter walked from class to the brownie troop meeting on campus after school, a parent is there to help me. If I need my other daughter walked from extended care to the gym and back for basketball practice, a parent, coach, or extended care employee is there to help me. In extended care the children start their homework receiving assistance if they need it. The two ladies who manage the school office are always friendly and organized. The teachers love what they do, but more importantly love the children. My girls give and receive hugs daily. My children WANT to go to school here every day. If you are considering transferring your child from another school or starting your kindergartener off at HSS you're making a good decision. read more

Look, if you wanna know about HSS, read this. Let me give you a little inside on the behind the scenes: 1. The staff for the most part is awesomde and dedicate--some teachers are older and grumpy and need to retire but most of them are great (Mr. Strong is the best P.E. teacher in this world!) 2. The school is focused on a great primary foundation in math, grammar, and science--I graduated in 2006 and I was totally prepared for Moreau Catholic High School. 3. This school creates great study habits for all students. 4. HSS helps children understand appropriate and inappropriate conduct. 5. The kids that go there are great. I still keep in touch with more or less everyone from my graduating class. 6. The campus is extremely safe. 7. HOT LUNCH IS GROSS, DO NOT LET YOUR KIDS EAT IT. I'm sure there is more, but I must say: SEND YOUR CHILDREN HERE. Children are the future, therefore we must educate them well to take care of our world. I will definately try to send my kids here. I had such a great experience at Holy Spirit. read more

Their are the standard Stratford, Challenger & Montessori private schools here in the Fremont/Newark area and all are very good. Even the local Public Grade Schools in Fremont are very well regarded. But having a religious background we wanted the Catholic Faith a part of our children's lives, so we looked at the local Catholic Schools. Holy Spirit Church & School stood out as the best, not only in Parish/Community Involvement but in Academics, Curriculum and optional CYO sports. The class sizes are about 26 to 28 students per class and the teachers are very good. Now in saying that, we have had our children in 7 Grades up to this point, some teachers have been awesome, some were just good, but as a whole, the experience has been positive. In saying that, the cost is pricey for a Catholic education, about $5,000 per kid, per year + all the extra costs; special uniforms, special shoes, donations to the church, all the standard books & accessories etc. But the biggest thing is "Time & Parent Involvement", this school requires a lot of parent hours. They fine you, per hour, if you don't make your allotted parent hours so you spend a lot of nights and weekends on various committees or student programs. The class courses here are geared towards catholic college preparatory high schools like Bellarmine in San Jose, Saint Francis in Los Altos, Archbishop Mitty High in Santa Clara or Moreau High in Hayward. If your child does well at Holy Spirit they should have no problem getting into any of the catholic high schools or any other private high school in northern california. It's a good school and my kids are getting a good education, period. read more

I graduated here in 2002 and I have to say that I would send my future kids here. I learned alot from here and was well prepared for Moreau's college prepatory curiculum. The teachers I had Ms. Murray and Mrs. Marchetti were great. all the teachers here are very patient and understanding. I love going back to see them and talk to them about the strides i have made since i graduated. I also met my best friends here and im still good friends with them. especially since we were the class dorks lol. take that "in crowd"!!! there is always an inevitable stuck up in crowd, so whatcha gonna do? sigh... i love how there is a science lab where you go and learn in. much more official. also the confirmation program here is AMAZING!!! take it from a white girl. Deacon Bill also spends time with the 6-8th graders which i think is great because hes so inspirational. i wish i had the time to still be involved. read more

It started to feel a bit off after we submitted the application and the application fee. It would take multiple follow-ups before we get a response to a simple question. I kept telling my husband during that period that I just had this weird feeling about this school. It just didn't sit right with me. My husband disagreed with me and told me that maybe they were just not good with administrative tasks but good with teaching and told me not to worry about it. Oh, I forgot to mention that they told us one week before school started that the full-day hours would be 8:00-4:00 due to Covid, not 8:00-6:00, which we were told during the visual school tour. I was glad I was not working and could accommodate just fine; however, it would've been a disaster if I had been working. On the first day of school, I was pleasantly surprised by everything they were doing, from their Covid measures and just how "high-tech" the parent apps were. I really appreciated the pictures they sent and all the updates they would share via Brightwheels and ParentSquare so that the parents could continue the lessons at home. Things started going downhill about a week in. My husband got a letter that says during recess, my son did not tell the teacher he needed potty, but instead, he went in the bushes in the back of the playground. Well, at least he did not pee in his pants! lol Joke aside, we agreed that it was inappropriate and had a conversation with our son. However, it didn't stop there, and it was one thing after another. First, my husband would receive a phone call from the Director that my son did not want to come into the classroom after recess and wanted my husband to talk to him. Then, they would call and say my son didn't want to sit down during lunch and wanted me to speak to him. After that, we met every week, and toward the end, we met twice a week. There was one meeting section where the Director was showing a bit of attitude. It was just very odd. That day when I picked up my son, she saw me coming and purposely yelled at my son, "XXXX, don't run!" while other parents were outside and could hear it. It was just rude and highly unprofessional. These were their concerns about my 3-year-old son: He ran around the classroom and could not sit down during circle time. He took off his mask. He did not wash his hands before lunch. He could not wait in line. He could not wait; he could not understand xy&z. He could not stay quiet when he woke up from his nap. He kept food in his mouth. He sucked the corner of his blanket when napping. Btw, this is how he soothes himself to sleep--kind of like a paci. He interjected words during storytime. He needed 1:1 attention, and the teacher could not do it because there were 10, 11 other kids. Because of the feedback received, we started a conversation with a pediatric behavior specialist. The Specialist shared that these were all typical, age-appropriate behaviors and that he may be on the active side. I took my son to his pediatrician for diagnosis, and she was shocked by the school's comments. On a side note, my son was telling me that "I don't like Holy Spirit," "I don't like friends because they told me to stay away." "I don't like the teachers." It was all very shocking to me as my son is super friendly and social; for him to say those words to me was extremely saddening. The last meeting we had with the teacher was on a Monday; they told us that it would not be the right program for my son if they did not see an improvement in his "behaviors"; they gave us TWO DAYS and asked that he improve at least 50%. By the way, the teacher shared that he was finally getting the routine but needed constant reminders. In addition, they wanted me to bring my son home for lunch because they were worried about him choked for keeping food in his mouth. The next day, they sent my son home for 99-degree fever and asked that the doctor write a note before he could go back. I decided then it would be the last day for my son. Upon us leaving, the Director said my son needed the gift of time. Unfortunately, they were not giving him time. He was only there for one month and was finally learning his routine, but it was not enough for them. Maybe my expectation was too high. I thought children go to school to learn how to interact with others and behave in society. I was not expecting my child to be kicked out/systematically get let go because he did not already know how to act with others. It was unfortunate that things turned out the way they did and gave my son a terrible first school experience. Not to mention ignoring my email when asking about a tuition refund. I will not recommend this school to anyone. read more

We are well into our second year at this school. Our family is enjoying it even more. The principal has implemented many positive changes, while maintaining the spirit of school tradition. I appreciate the school size too. Teachers and staff are easily accessible. My kid loves her teachers and class. I feel that my kid is thriving academically, socially and spiritually. In looking at the Kindergarten program for my next kid, the fact that kindergarten is full day (8 am to 3 pm) is appealing to me. read more

Both of my children attended (and recently graduated from) Holy Spirit School, which if you haven't looked at lately, you should. While most Schools are cutting back, Holy Spirit is reducing class sizes in key areas (like Math and Science), by adding new staff, textbooks, and technology. If you speak to the Principals of private High Schools (e.g., Moreau Catholic), they will tell you that Holy Spirit students score at the top of the standardized entrance tests, and are some of the best prepared students going into High School. Highly Recommended. read more

I took my son out of this school. He is now in a public school. Very happy loves his 1st grade teacher in the public school, he is eager to learn. I don't get any notes on his behavior, in fact not one single one at his current school, personally he has never had a bad behavior. His preschool teachers at another private school Talked great about my son and his current teacher does too! Kindergarten at Holy Spirit was miserable for him and us. Sad. They even wanted him to repeat kindergarten. Happy I made the right choice in taking him out. He is up to par in his class now:) I wanted my son to stay at Holy Spirit, but how he was treat by his teacher. Made me mad and wanting to retain him along with prior principle. Was so wrong. My son was intimidated and he was scared. I don't recommend kindergarten at this school. read more

I love the community feeling this school gives and how it exposes kids to various aspects of education awareness by involving parents. School needs a major upgrade to looking past 50's but if you can get past the aesthetics the STAFF IS WONDERFUL and teachers are rocking good educators. read more

Both of our children attended Holy Spirit School and received a top quality education there. We are so glad we invested the time and money preparing them for high school and beyond. As parents, we so appreciated the opportunity to have our children attend a school where the entire community reflected the values we have at home. read more

Holy Spirit School is the best school my youngest 2 children have attended. All 6 kids have attended Catholic Schools from Preschool to 8th Grade in WA and North Carolina and Holy Spirit is by far the best. I now only have my youngest child attending. The teachers, staff and even the parents are wonderful and warm. The principal,Mr. B. is very connected to the kids and both the parents and kids love him. He's very approachable and calm. The focus of Catholic education is really shown here and emphasized. It isn't just the academic excellence but the inclusiveness , kindness and concern we have received and continue to receive is amazing! The school really is the continuation of family. We are treated like family. As a Catholic School elementary graduate myself I feel my youngest 2 kids are very fortunate to have attended Holy Spirit. I highly recommend Holy Spirit as the school of your choice! Holy Spirit was an answer to my prayers. read more

We have our two daughters here since Preschool and they absolutely love it. Excellent school academically. The Staff is great. We have a new Principal and he is wonderful. The science program has helped many students excel. A new Spanish program is in effect this school year. State of the art technology is used by our kids at this school. I highly recommend it. read more

First, before I continue with this review I would like to say that I was a former student here for 8 years of my life. Although things may not be the same when I attended, I know that there are many teachers there that remain from my time here and I am sure that the same frame of mind still exists. When I was there I saw nothing but hypocrisy, judgement, teacher and student humiliation, as well as not upholding the ideal to love everyone equally. Personally I was traumatized by this establishment and because of my time spent there and shortly after I renounced my Catholicism. I knew that when I was a child that I needed to leave Holy Spirit, but my family pressured (well, forced is the best word) me to stay. I still, after many years, deal with the trauma and emotional scars that I received here and I honestly warn others to stay away. read more

If you are looking for a school that focuses on delivering well rounded high level education, family and faith centered, has up to date technology, before and after school care, small teacher student ratio then look no further. Holy Spirit School is a small community of teachers and parents who work well together and strive to give the children the best education out there. It says something about the school when many of the teachers and even the principle were previous students. Many of the children had parents that also went to the school. People return to Holy Spirit because they want to continue being part of the legacy and or want their child to experience great education. The Kindergarten teacher has been there for 30 years and we loved how much the children have learned. Not only did they learn the basics such as reading,writing, math, faith, science, they also cooked, had different leadership jobs, had a seperate music, art, and spanish teacher. The teacher was also up to date teaching the kids common core and incorporated "brain breaks" where students would stop and change up the activity to energize and stimute and the brian and body. I enjoyed getting little bear notes from the the teacher for me it was a way i communicated with my child and asked how the day went and why the bear note said "I was helpful today" etc... All the staff at Holy Spirit treat the children like they are their own and want to give each child the very best. read more

It is always a joy to be at Holy Spirit School. I had a great learning experience from this school, which inculcated in me, the catholic values. I am thankful to my parents to let me study here. The school always had the presence of Holy Spirit and you can feel it especially at the school assembly in the space between the church and the school. I am already graduated but now since my brother is studying there, I am there at school almost everyday. I had heard about a new principal coming to the School and now I should say she is the best for the school. She has brought a great energy to the school. I had a couple of conversation with her and I was truly amazed by her vision for the school. I am happy that my school is getting better as always. I strongly believe that the proximity of the school to the amazingly growing church is the reason for this excellence. I see the Pastor Fr.Mathew almost everyday at the School assembly which reveals his concern and care for the school as the administrator. The School is very clean and is very much concerned about the environment. There is a 6 foot statue of St.Fransis known as the friend of nature, facing the School. The School is just Wonderful!! read more