Research Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary School private Schools in Lexington, Kentucky

“I just cannot agree with the positives regarding MQHR. Unfortunately, there is a serious lack of communication between parent/teacher/child. We've been unable to communicate with the teachers, thus unable to assist our own children. There is a serious lack of trust in the administration. Questions are definitely not encouraged.”

“MQHR is a very good school and there have been many positive changes made to the curriculum. Some of the changes probably came too late for some families and others have found these changes difficult. We selected MQHR because we wanted an excellent academic program in a catholic environment and we have found this within the school.”

“This is an exceptional school for the students both academically and socially. My children have been challenged and have seen great success at MQHR. It is clear that the teachers and staff are caring, supportive and do everything it takes to see children succeed academically.”

“As a parent at Mary Queen School, I am not only happy with the academics that my children are receiving, but also with the quality of the social environment that they are being exposed to. No school is perfect, however, my children are happy, they are doing well and they are thriving in an academically challenging environment with teachers and staff who truly care and support them. If our math program is so terrible, explain to me why we have 2 6th grade sections of prealgebra, an advanced algebra class in 7th grade and 8th graders taking geometry. Students from Mary Queen received 4 of the 10 academic scholarships given diocesan wide for Lexington Catholic High School. More than any other school in the diocese. Does this sound like a substandard program to you?”

“The school recently adopted a controversial math program called Everyday Math. After one year of this, we've decided to pull our kids out next year. After reading that many public schools are failing their students using this program, we decided it's not worth our tuition $$$. I can see why parents don't like this program, kids aren't required to master basic math. Parents are often times frustrated at the leadership within the school. We've decided to move on and wish the parents and teachers the best of luck.”

“Each year it seems that many parents pull their children out of MQHR. It boils down to the lack of spiritual leadership within the school. I see some positive changes that have taken place at the Church, but we are still left with leadership in the school that many parents cannot trust. The teachers are dedicated and overall good. The curriculum has been modified and many parents are pleased. We expect high quality in the areas of academics, religious education and discipline, unfortunately this seems to be lacking. Negative comments come from parents who want things to work well, but see the dire results when parents continually remove their kids from the school. One can take the 'exodus' and learn from it, or one can continue to ignore the elephant in the room.”

“Mary Queen is an exceptional Catholic school, not just another private school boasting high test scores. The school is established and the leadership strong. I suspect the negative comments here come from parents who cannot accept the no-nonsense attitude of the principal. I say hooray to her for not being bullied by parents who don't get their way or can t seem to follow rules. My children have excelled academically at the high school and college level (both private schools) after attending Mary Queen. But more importantly, they were provided with a strong foundation in their faith as well as many lessons in developing strong morals and values. I personally welcome and embrace an environment that doesn't 'teach to the test'. Many Catholic schools have become so focused on achieving the highest standardized test scores in the area that they have lost sight of their mission. Our success in life will not be determined by test scores! This school provides a wonderful, caring, family friendly and Christ centered environment for learning. Our youngest child is now at this school and we wouldn t consider going anywhere else in Lexington.”

“I have to say after 5 years of dealing with Mary Queen, in my experience, the individual teachers generally, are of good quality but I find that the academics aren't at the level I would expect from a private school. However, communication with the administration has always been spotty at best. It's been extremely frustrating getting simple corrections made for things like phone number and address changes. The reputation of structure and discipline that you get from a Catholic school is missing with uniform infractions, missing/late work rules and behavior issues blithely ignored. So much for the MQHR handbook.The school seems more worried about potentially angering parents than effectively stressing excellent academics and values of honesty, responsibility, compassion and forgiveness. I feel this attitude starts from the top down, sadly.”

“One of my children was behind in Language arts after leaving MQHR in 6th grade. MQHR also announced they are now bringing in Everyday Math. From my research this is a new/fuzzy math program that has failed in many public schools. Look at www.nychold.com I would also look very closely at the family life program for 5th grade. The materials used conflict with the Catholic Church. Communication is one of the biggest problems. Teachers often times aren't allowed to answer questions from parents. And getting answers from the administration can be very difficult too.”

“As a parent of a student at MQHR School, I have witnessed a quiet, 'coming together,' if you will, of parents, teachers and administration. I am encouraged to see parents and staff working better with one another in the interest of our children. As parents and staff of a private, religious based school, 'working together' with one another should be second nature for a small, well adjusted community like MQHR. I know improvement is always a goal to maintain every year. I know parents and staff are looking forward, this school year, to doing an even better job than last. All my support for our children, our teachers and our principal. May God bless us all!”

“MQHR has provided a basic acedemic education in a catholic atmosphere for decades. However in todays environment, 'basic education' is not enough. The public schools in this area have surpassed that for elementary & middle school. Our current administration recognizes that difference & has 'cut' a course towards excellence beginning a few years ago. I say 'cut' because it has been painful for many parents, children & some teachers, to leave the comfortable 'basic' behind. For the past 3 years the academic requirements & offerings have improved. Children are slowly becoming accustomed to the higher expectations. We adults have the hardest time. But the teachers are good and continue to modify their work to bring our students to ever higher excellence. I see the school on the right path. An openly catholic school producing academically solid children, ready to achieve in high school.”

“It is somewhat fascinating, and intriguing , that the April review was aware of the identity of the previous review. This type of back and forth rebuttal doesn't say much for the character of the school. What it does infer however, is that the school is on the defense for some reason. The latest review states the high morale and support of faculty. Can this be proven ? It should be noted that the national testing scores have gone from 90% under previous administration(s) to a solid 70% under current administration.”

“Isn't it interesting that the parent who made the previous disgruntled comment continues to send her child to Mary Queen? Facts are that enrollment is up from previous years and based on reports from our parent advisory committee will be even higher next year. The enrollment is currently higher than any of the other Catholic K-8 schools in the county! Also, teachers indicate morale is higher than it has been for years and the staff is very supportative of the administrator and the improvements made over the past few years. The middle school math program is one of the best in the county.”