This review is actually long overdue and I debated whether to post. I'm a former student of Emmaus, and attended from kindergarten through 8th grade. While I loved some aspects of the school and while some of the teachers are wonderful (Mrs. Hart is THE BEST), there are many flaws and so many aspects of this school that are problematic. These are issues that one would not know unless they've attended themselves. Though it has been many years, now that I am an educator and administrator myself, I just felt it would be doing a disservice to prospective children who may attend unless I talked about just a few things to consider before attending. The Issues (withholding some details to ensure anonymity of those involved) 1. While I attended, there was clear bullying of students by some teachers, and many of us experienced this while there. Teachers are meant to support students in learning - they should not play into or create drama or bully children. The teachers seemed unable to handle the bullying between students as well. The upper grade teacher who turned principal for many years after was the most problematic of all. 2. A huge problem is that there is no counselor or support staff for students, and this is crucial for growing children and adolescents, especially in this day and age. During my time there, any issues of depression, sexual harassment, bullying, eating disorders, etc. that were brought to the teacher's attention was merely swept under the rug. The teachers had NO idea how to address these issues that students face and it was oftentimes dealt with very poorly. 3. The class sizes are tiny, and while this could be seen as a positive most instances, this doesn't work well if there is bullying/teacher bullying and because of the culture of the school. The culture of the school fosters an enormous amount of pressure, unhealthy competition, comparison, and shaming, and favoritism. This comes from the teachers as well as other parents. Everyone is well aware of which students are doing more poorly or better than others and once a student is seen a certain way, there is no escaping that reputation. The feeling of stress and pressure is insurmountable and there is no support for this or any actions taken to promote a healthier, intrinsic desire to learn. 4. Quite recently in a parent group I belong to on Facebook, a teacher currently at Emmaus posted about this school. They promoted it and said this is a great "NON-WOKE" school. To be "woke" means to be educated and conscious of social injustice and inequality. Even as a Christian myself, I would hope that my child is not taught by teachers who do not celebrate diversity or support equality/equity for all children and people, etc. I understand that a Christian school may fall on the more conservative side, but if a teacher's first and only description of the school is about how anti-woke it is, it shows where the teacher's priorities are and is a reflection of the school's current culture. 5. On paper, most students seem to do well academically. However, many students fall through the cracks. Just as another reviewer stated, either these students feel pressured to leave or the school turns a blind eye to their educational gaps and needs. I personally witnessed several students who were in upper grade levels (7th and 8th) who still could not read and there are no interventions in place to help these students to ensure their later success. The good 1. Emmaus was always ahead of the game with Language and Literature. I read books in 7th grade that I read again once I was in high school for the required reading because Emmaus was so advanced. 2. I loved the Wednesday Chapel for kids and especially the Christmas show each year. 3. The class trips each year were great experiences and not a privilege other students get to experience in other schools. Of course this is just one person's review, and admittedly from years ago, but my hope this will serve as a springboard for someone to do their research and explore first before sending their children to this school. Kids will learn life lessons no matter where they attend, but they also need to grow where they are supported by caring adults and given the right resources to manage life's lessons. From those I still connect with who have graduated from Emmaus, many seem to deal with extremely high anxiety, issues with self confidence, social issues, etc., and carry this with them into adulthood. My hope is that Emmaus finds a way to ensure a safe and loving environment with appropriate supports for ALL kids, and if not, then I would never imagine putting my child in this school or recommend this school to others. read more

My child loves this school, she has grown so much academically and has become an inspiring athlete here, the staff is Awesome and always there to help read more

My kids attended Emmaus grades 4-8. This is a great school and our overall experience was a positive one. This school works really hard and achieves its goal of being well rounded at academics, arts, and sports. When I asked my kids what I should say about the school since they were the ones that attended they said "it's a really good school and the teachers are great." The teachers work really hard on each students success. This is a small school so individual attention is more achievable. Teachers usually make themselves available by email and by personal cell phone. Kids are highly encouraged to participate in sports. There are also opportunities for them to grow in the arts through crafts and variety shows. The campus is very secure, entrance one door with individual access code. And my kids favorite, they are big on field trips. Again the students are encourage to grow a variety ways. This school can feel like family if choose to have that experience. Excited for your journey if you choose this school for your children. read more

All I can say is they have great learning credentials. Great teachers and staff! Highly recommended.

Small class size, dedicated teachers, Christ centered and no CRT being taught along with inappropriate sexx education. Our students go on to some of the finest private high schools and continue to be high achievers. Focus on drama and music prepared my cousins to be able to be able to speak in front of people. The campus is 6 acres with most of the extra space in grass--not asphalt or concrete. Excellent computer learning opportunities. read more

My two children graduated from Emmaus in 2019 and 2021. We called Emmaus our home for 11 years and my children, now high schoolers, have fond memories of their time at Emmaus and many of their former teachers. In the younger grades, they were able to thrive and grow with loving and supportive teachers such as Mrs. Schmidt, Ms. Tyndall and Mrs. Hart. Mrs. Hart is absolutely amazing with the kids. She has a true vocation for teaching and particularly teaching choir and handbells. She knows how to instill confidence in even the shyest of kids, to bring them out of their shells through song and her love of Jesus. Emmaus does an exceptional job of preparing kids academically for the challenges of high school. In the upper grades, particularly 7th and 8th grade, Mrs. Marousek focuses on getting the students ready to write proper essays and both my kids had that strong essential, foundation entering 9th grade. My daughter has taken all honor math courses in high school and she is the first to acknowledge the solid math foundation she received at Emmaus. My son has a love for history which developed and flourished in Mr. Warneke's history classes. Mrs. Mitcham is also a fun and engaging teacher that made 6th grade an awesome experience for my son. Emmaus offers strong academics, but more importantly to me, as a parent, it provides a nurturing place where kids can grow and learn in a safe and loving environment. read more

My daughter went through 11 years of this wonderful church and school. From preschool through eighth grade and then into public high school as a star soccer volleyball and softball player with math and science skills two grades above her classmates. A beautiful green school wonderful trees huge grass and play area for the kids to grow. The Christian Values taughtWill remain with my girl so much longer than any schooling. read more

This is such an amazing Christian-centered school. Everyone I've encountered there cares so much about the students. For a small school, they offer quite a lot. My child has Spanish lessons during the day, technology classes, and they also offer after school enrichment classes such as soccer, chess, Mandarin, art, and piano. I read some of the older reviews and I'm glad to say that I've never had those experiences with this school. Although no one is perfect and anyone can have a bad day. I've only experienced the dedication of many of their teachers and staff members who go above and beyond for this school. read more

I am a proud parent of 2 little ones currently attending Emmaus, and as biased as I am, it is necessary to point out the tremendous job that they do, because it may inspire others to join the family. My wife and I both love the traditional family and Christian values that the school lovingly teaches kids, instead of just shoving information down their throats. We can genuinely feel the love and caring attitudes, and for that, I am always grateful. I am not a tiger dad, and therefore not too strict with academics yet on my kids, but the ability of Emmaus to immerse students with both academics and fun living projects is second to none. They are able to live like human beings, interact like human beings, instead of crashing on the computer/video games 24/7. This is the single best place to develop your kids without worry and concern of being misled down the spiritual path. Thank you to the entire staff for all you do, and please keep up the great work! read more

Recommend this school. The faculties and staff do their job with heart. My son and the entire family love this school. We feel the love and the education is above average. read more

Hypocrites! (this is a review of the school, not the church) My kid attended from 6th thru part of 8th grade. Extremely disappointed that they do NOT practice loving compassionate Christian values. My kid experienced cyber-bullying from classmates & when I brought it up to administrators, their response was "Oh, it can't be them - they are good kids". Their definition of "good" is whoever has the best grades - those kids are treated as if they do no wrong. If something is lost or stolen in class, they automatically blame the kids w/ the lowest grades. The school boasts of high academic performance, but I noticed that they maintain the high average performance by pressuring the lower performing kids to transfer out, or they make things so miserable for them that the poor kids are begging their parents to take them out. Finally, during 8th grade I transferred my kid to a public middle school, & there my child received the extra after-school tutoring that was a great help (all for free!). read more

The tuition system is completely unpredictable, if you think you're paying a monthly tuition.. think again! two words "mandatory donations".. you would think being a church, they would be more up front about such things. read more

Great school. Can not think of a better school! Great staff, great princiPAL! Great and caring teachers!!!!Great atmosphere for children! Excellent!!! read more

First of all, this school has a security issue. Let me tell you why. We scheduled a tour at this school after one parent from my kid's ballet class recommended this school to us. On the day of the tour we were standing in front of the building but couldn't find door bell to notify the office our arrival nor we could find anyone to help us. We managed to find a church-like/meeting-hall-like entry door so we thought maybe we could find someone to help us thus we walked in and the next minute we just found out we were inside the campus after walked through one more door without bumping into any staff. The security of this school is a BIG issue. Then we met with the principal. She greeted us with a warm smile and she led us to a meeting room to wait for couple minutes. While waiting for her I looked around the room and I can see some trashes lay on the floor. I mean palm size that kinds of large trashes. There were even some unwanted furniture at the corner and I can even feel dusty air everywhere. And get me wrong thinking I'm a clean freak. The room looks like it's a storage room than a meeting/greeting room. I whispered to my husband that I think this school looks very unorganized and not very clean. After that we had a tour around the school and the principal had answered all the questions we had. We are happy with the campus. It's not very common to find a church based private school with such a big outdoor area. They even have a newly remodeled indoor basketball court. The after school program seems to have enough variety. however, the only problem is I'm not sure if I can trust them with my kid there. The security loophole may be just a tip of an iceberg. The sloppiness of the school environment and surrounding may be an indication of how the entire staffs run the school. Our final decision is to send our kid else where. read more

My grandchild attends Emmaus Lutheran School and has grown in so may ways. This school has very high national test scores. Please go and check them out. The curriculum is well rounded with an extra bonus of plays, music and chapel service. The teachers give generously of their time and you can contact them and they respond back. The campus is very large and the play areas have covered canopies. They even have a garden where the students can see plants and vegetables grow. read more

It's not the worst school, because this school does have a couple of great teachers. But they do have the worst administrative staff! The office secretary, Ms. R, is often late, does not know much knowledge about school administration system and not helpful. She can just chi chat with other staff in the middle of helping parents and keeping the parents waiting for her help. Her kids went to the same school and always got special treatments from the teachers, which is not fair. The principle, doesn't know how to be a principle. She doesn't know how to recruit students, help to work with parents to meet their students needs and work together with parents to achieve students educational goals. Her kids also go to the same school and always get favors from the teachers. This is a Christian school and all students should be treated fairly and equally with Christ's loving compassion. There should not be this student get to do this to other students because their parent work there. The school would be a much better one if they have better, more hard working and helpful administrative staff and all teachers are helping students equally without showing favoritism. read more