We absolutely love, love, love this school. My background is in education. In fact, I have been a teacher for almost 20 years. When it came time for us to choose an elementary school, we contemplated many and did all the tours and open houses. Initially, what drew me to SPN was the curriculum. For the last 5 years, I have been tutoring and I was especially impressed with the work I would see the SPN kids doing. They were challenged as well as supported. Since I was also starting to do my homework on which school to send my daughter, I would also talk the parents of all my students about their experience. It seemed to me that the families that chose SPN were happier overall than the families of the other Alameda schools, both public and private. My daughter is now a 1st grader and my husband and I could not be happier with our choice. The school has been very welcoming and warm. The parent community is very involved and inclusive. Athletics are very important to my husband and I and we were thrilled to find out that Kindergartners are welcome to join both the cross country and track and field teams! Our class is super diverse: ethnically and socially. We love that our daughter will be with her same class all the way through 8th grade. My classroom teaching background is in middle school and another huge plus to this school is the interaction the little ones have with the big kid and vice versa. As for the religion component of the school - the kids attend mass weekly, they have regular religion classes in class. From what I have seen, they teach the best of what organized religion has to offer, character and community building. read more

St Philip Neri School, Thursday, 8/29/24, 3:20pm, @Encinal Market Please teach your students in uniform to flush the toilet. I'm sure many of your students don't flush and are so courteous to pee all over the seat. Open the door, and not even hold it open for a lady but as parents and faculty, it's important to teach etiquette especially in a world that's full of wars, slavery, and disrespect for one another. They're kids. They need their parents around, not on IG, or Tik Tok, but to teach them manners. Description: 5 foot, 12 years old looking, blue eyes, dirty blonde hair, tennis shoes, St. Philip Neri uniform, Caucasian male: I did not appreciate pee all over the seat, floor and in the toilet. Please be thoughtful and caring to others who use the baño after you. Good luck in school and your endeavors and please be kind and courteous. read more

St Philip Neri School - Remember to teach etiquette and morals also. - Elementary Schools Near Me - Alameda, California

See all

We are so thrilled and feel fortunate to have joined the SPN community! Our little in TK is thriving. Seeing her social emotional, academic, developmental skills and creativity grow is so visible and know that we've made the right choice for our child's future. The staff is extremely helpful and overall communication from school is a 100%. Not only is SPN intentional on the student's school experience but they do a great job with the parent community in feeling involved and empowered to support their children. Cannot recommend SPN enough. - SPN family since 2024 read more

My son, who is currently in the 5th grade, has been at St. Philip Neri since Kindergarten. Back then, we toured all the elementary schools (public, private, catholic) and, at that time, considered St. Philip Neri and Franklin to be the best. My family is Catholic so SPN edged out Franklin. I should note that I'm an alum of St. Joseph Elementary and also a parishioner of St. Joseph's Basilica, but I preferred the SPN school community and so glad we made the decision to send our kid here. I cannot emphasize enough how much my son loves SPN. Every night we list the 3 best things that happened that day and he consistently says school. The teachers are the best! They're caring and supportive, and the overall school environment is collaborative. I am very proud to send my son to SPN and give it my highest recommendation. read more

Moving my kids from a public school on the island to SPN was the best decision we could have made! They couldn't be happier, and neither could we. The teachers are truly amazing--many have been there for over a decade, and the low turnover speaks volumes about the school's supportive environment. Each class benefits from having two dedicated teachers. Beyond the classroom, SPN offers an impressive variety of extracurricular activities rarely found in elementary schools, including track and field, cross country, volleyball, basketball, golf, chess, choir, Spanish, scouts, and music. Their innovative STEM programs, such as the Maker's Space, broadcasting club, and math club, keep students engaged and excited about learning. The school also provides flexible before and aftercare right on campus on a pay-as-you-go basis, which is a huge plus for busy parents. Tuition is very reasonable for the exceptional quality of education and the well-rounded experience SPN offers. One of the highlights of the year is the school's vibrant community events, including the annual spring and summer concerts and the oratory fest, which give students wonderful opportunities to perform on stage. The SPN community is welcoming and inclusive. I highly recommend this school to anyone looking for a nurturing and enriching educational experience for their children! read more

st philip neri school alameda reviews All Forums Short videos Images News Maps Videos Shopping Web Books Flights Finance Search tools Feedback St Philip Neri School 4.3(11) School in Alameda, California ‧ Closed Thumbnail Image 2+ Overview Photos Reviews About Reviews from the web GreatSchools 4.1/5 30 votes Niche 4.8/5 SPN Family since 2021. My girls have thrived and grown and blossomed under the exceptional leadership of Mrs. Thomas and the entire staff of SPN. From fostering our rich Catholic Faith to well curated lessons and Social Emotional Learning, my children have excelled on all fronts and continue to do so. I would not dream of having them anywhere else. read more

Excellent school! We are in year two at the school and are so thankful that we chose SPN. It is a small school with wonderful teachers and the principal is second to none. We are beyond impressed with our daughters education thus far. The sense of community at the school is the icing on the cake. We really feel like we've been welcomed into an amazing family. Well worth every cent of the extremely affordably priced tuition! read more

An excellent, small, private school. Both of my kids attend and have had a very positive experience. Great academics with extra support when needed. One of my children has struggled in math and for the last two years attended free after school math help. He's now excelling on standardized tests. They also have CYO sports (basketball, volleyball, cross country and track and field) that starts in third grade. read more

I cannot recommend this school. It is a very small school where the bullies are both student and teacher, with little to no remediation for issues. There is a clique of parents and staff that make attending school events and meetings more laborious than needed, and the constant notices about Bingo volunteers or paying the fine, is stressful. It is a very close-knit and closed minded community of parents and staff, where the students are secondary to the school's agenda. The number of students per classroom is small, which creates even more competition , teacher favoritism, and silent Bullying. During school field trips teachers actually put students in their own vehicles get behind the wheel, and transport them. The school is constantly struggling with leadership roles and continue to hire principals with no experience. The teaching staff appear to less inclined to model the values of the Catholic Church as evidenced in their blatant disregard of the teachings through supporting abortion, open marriage, while discriminating against LGBT students and teachers in the classroom. Teachers are also randomly assigned to teach subjects they have little to no expertise or experience with, while also falling into the cliquish category. There is no lunchroom, and the playground is an unsecured, asphalt parking lot. The current principal is more reactive than proactive, and is more of a nosy, busy body that a leader or educational facilitator. For the price of tuition, you are better off going to San Leandro or Oakland for private school. If you want your child to be a cliquish bully, send them here. read more

Our child has been at St. Philip Neri since she was in Kindergarten, she is now in 7th grade. We love the school and really enjoy the community of families we have met and become close with over the years. Teachers are dedicated to student success and the school administration is committed to a continually improving curriculum. My daughter has been learning Spanish for 8 years, she has amazing art experiences and participates in electives such as drama and band. I really like the fact she can participate in sports at no cost. Cross Country, Basketball for Boys and Girls, Girls Volleyball and Boys Sand Volleyball plus track and field are all offered to our kids! This is a good school, with good values and good people. read more

So why the YELP??? Tuesday nite bingo PASTA DINNER BABY! If you get lucky, some Tuesday's they offer the Godfather of bingo dinners. Made by a true Italiano, the sauce starts from scratch at 6am and is ready around 5pm. Pasta, bagged salad, and a roll $4.50. Pasta sauce that gives Rao's(New York) a run for it's money. Old world recipe. A little bit of this, a little bit of that, u kno. MANGIA MANGIA.... P.S. An awesome private, Catholic, elementry and grade school. read more

I wish I had considered this school before enrolling my son into the local public primary school. Our personal experience is with middle school. After a few weeks we came to realize how far behind our son was with writing and math. The homeroom teacher was amazing and worked out an action to get our son where he needed to be. They teach organizational skills which is supervised the 1st year or so, then the kids are on their own. The math teacher is awesome. He really nows how to work with kids, especially boys with short attention spans. The history ciricullum was super interesting... I was reading along, much to my son's dismay. The sports teams are fun and 100% inclusive. The coaches are teach these kids alot more than just the game. They incorporate life skills during practices. The community is over-the-top. EVERYONE helps you feel as though you have been there from the beginning, even if you do not attend their church nor are Catholic. The fund raisers are crazy fun! I really loved the short time we had at this" Jewel" of a school and really do wish we started earlier. If you are considering a great school with a fantastic principle and equally stellar staff, you owe it to yourself and your child to visit SPN. read more

Outstanding school and personnel! Having children in both public elementary school and SPN, I have been impressed by SPN's reactivity in developing new ways of learning throughout the Covid crisis. The attention to each student has been increased to make sure not one falls behind. As a working mother, I feel totally supported by SPN and I know my son is in good hands. read more

We've been an SPN family for going on 11 years - our first child has graduated and was well prepared for a rigorous college prep high school by the excellent teaching staff and curriculum. Top notch technology, blended with a focus on the whole child: social, emotional and spiritual development, means that your child will experience a caring and connected community while they develop into respectful, responsible, reverent, life long learners. Even under the shelter in place order, our middle schooler is learning new things everyday, being challenged and staying connected to their teachers and classmates! We can't say enough about how much we love SPN and recommend it to those looking for a school community for your family to grow with. read more

I'm surprised at the negative reviews here. Our experience has been exactly the opposite. We are relatively new to the school entering our 3rd year, are not members of the parish or even Catholic and have found a very welcoming community of parents, teachers and administrators. No school is perfect but SPN is doing all the right things. Our new principal who is starting her 2nd academic year with us is absolutely excellent and has been very proactive in addressing issues left by her predecessor and bringing significant energy and renewal to the school. The comments about no outside play area are just not true, the TK/K groups have their own playground with play structures inside a secured fenced area, our daughter loved that and was also very excited to move to the "big school" in 1st grade to eat outside on the picnic tables and play the many structured games at recess on the secured fenced asphalt playground. It is a small school. It is a private school. It is a catholic school. It is not the right fit for every family, part of being in a faith based small school is buying into what you are signing up for, volunteering, being understanding and modeling respectful behavior for our kids. Education is a partnership between families and schools. Our tuition is one of the lowest in the Oakland Diocese, due in part to the active parent community volunteering, our test scores are some of the highest, SPN sent several students to the countywide science fair last year and they did very well a few receiving top honors. I would challenge anyone to find a private school where parents aren't expected to volunteer at least 25 hours a year although many do many times more than that. Some children will thrive in a small school like SPN some will not, like so many things in education its about fit with the child and the family and we are blessed in the Bay Area with many choices for schools whether public, charter, private, etc. So if a small welcoming open minded school community, with parents, teachers and administrators who really care about the kids and their success sounds right for your family, then do give SPN a look it may just be the perfect fit for your family! read more

I think the other reviews are old. Principal Jessica Murray is wonderful. The school has a wonderful and strong sense of community among parents, teachers, students and staff. We have three children and each receives the individual support and instruction they need. Our youngest is in the TK program and we are thrilled. read more

We checked out pretty much every school in Alameda including public and charter before deciding to enroll our daughter at St. Philip Neri. We'd heard good things from friends but what I initially reacted most to was the warm community and engagement of the principal. It's now our second year and in addition to the community, I also appreciate the emphasis on social-emotional learning/ character building. Every child is known and nurtured. Academic standards are high - saw some stats this year that we ranked higher than charter schools in all areas. read more

We moved here for Middle School, and couldn't be happier. We came from a $$$ private school, and I can tell you the education my daughter is getting here is much, MUCH better than we were getting there. We turned down several other private school options to come here as well. I was sold by the amazing principal, Jessica Murray, and after attending several school meetings by invitation, I was very impressed by the school's organization, as well as the kindness of the staff and other students. The academics are old school and solid--the curriculum is transparent so you know what your child is learning and how your kid is doing. They have ipads and Macs for each kid in the classroom, but homework includes lots of good old fashioned pen to paper (which is a plus to me). We are not Catholic--actually we are Jewish--and we have been welcomed and included. There is religious education, but honestly, this is the crazy Bay Area, and I don't mind other adults sharing with my kid that it's important to be kind and make your community a better place. The religious focus is mostly community and social-justice oriented, and my child is never made to feel like an outsider. The kids are really, genuinely nice, though many of them are busy, so it can be hard to get playdates and one-on-one time. My daughter found a group and was included right away, which was a great sign to me. There are lots of electives, including broadcasting, art, music, and genius hour. Google is coming to visit the school, and several of the teachers have done continuing education with Google. In short, for 1/3 the price, I feel like I'm getting 2 times the education we were getting before. My daughter's former school left her with some basic skill deficits, as there were some pretty big holes in their curriculum, which was more go-with-the-flow--and that led to $$$$ in tutoring to get her ready for SPN. St. Joe's is the feeder high school for SPN (which is where my other kid ended up after graduating from the $$$ private school--and is another great school). SPN is a great place if you love strong education, structure, and a close-knit community. We love it and are glad we found this hidden gem. read more

It is too bad that there are only three reviews for this excellent school. And I would urge anyone thinking of sending their child to St. Philip Neri chek it out for yourself and not rely on the negative opinions of a few. If you are looking for a school that has an excellent academic reputation amoung the Catholic High Schools in the area then you can't go wrong! If you are looking for a School community that works hard to live the Gospel values they teach then, you've found the right school. Is everything perfect, no. Do the kids have recess on the "blacktop" - absolutely, as they have for the last 50 years. Are there things they can do better? Again, absolutely and the faculty and staff work every day to do a better job than the day before. St. Philip Neri CAtholic Elementary School is a great school. And the only reason I did not give it 5 stars is because no one is perfect. read more