schools on st. thomas

do a search on this board. plenty of info.

I looked, and all i saw was a spelling war between some guy and a school teacher.

Are there really fights and beatings? Low test scores? Are there any white kids in the schools? Surely they aren't that bad...

There are several private schools which are good - VI Montessori School (my daughter has attended for 6 years). Antilles School, All Saints, St. Peter and Paul. All are good schools. Some of the public schools are fine - Teresa on this board sends her kids to public schools and is satisfied. Try another search.

ok, thanks. we wouldn't be able to afford private schools, but we'd be interested in the public schools. Do you recomened any public schools?

Hi leslie.

There are very few white kids in the public school system here. glynnswife mentioned Teresa and if you search and read her past posts you will see that she has her kids in a public elementary school here and has indicated that she is satisfied with their education but has concerns about high school should she and her family still be here at that time. Perhaps when you do your pre-move visit you can check out the schools for yourself and see if they meet your needs. Most folks who relocate here from the states send their kids to private schools. If you cannot afford private school tuition and do not feel qualified to homeschool then you really need to personally check out the public schools before you make the move.

People on the north side seem happy with Sibilly, an elementary school. After you live here awhile, you can decide what to do with the bambino(s). If you don't have children yet, you'll have a few years to look around before worrying about the schools! 😉

I will just add a few things. My kids are in public elementary school. Their biggest challenges have been with accents or rather communication. We moved here from Missouri and they have had a hard time with the Carribbean, Spanish, French, and any combo accents. The education is fine. They don't have extras which I would like, but we can't afford private school just yet. They do have Spanish class which is great. I did learn the hard way what days are vacation days. Rarely are they announced from the school since everyone on island should know the days from when they went to school. 🙂 I now have Transfer Day memorized as well as the fact that even though they already had spring break, they take off for Carnival as well. There are many problems in the educational system and they show up more as the grades increase. I can't say the problems are that different from stateside. I admit the private schools are most likely a better choice, but cost is the sway for me. For one child it would be affordable, but for two and soon three it is very expensive. Anyway, schools are okay, but you have to stay on top of it and really get involved with PTA and the school in general. I have to run, but feel free to PM me with any questions. I rarely have time to read all the postings, but I am sure others will give you info as well.

Teresa

The unspoken problem in the Virgin Island School system is race.

If you can imagine your white child in an all black school in Mississippi in the 1960's, than you can imagine what your child will see every day in the public schools in St Thomas.

The difference of course is that it does not require the presence of military to integrate the school. Mississippi and Alabama in the 1960's needed military help to bring black youngsters into the school system. However, the kids regardless of race must now face the same difficulties that those kids did back in the 1960's south.

Kids are tough on each other. Racism is not dead.

I wish I had a simple answer. Children do and say what they learned from there parents at home.

I would def send them to private school. There is an affordable one on St John and its about $500 a month. Well worth it in my opinion. I have a kid on the way and I'd send my kid to public elem school Sibilly, but after that no way. I value education and safety too much, and I don't mean to offend anyone who has their kids in the public schools, it just my opinion. $500 is WELL worth it to me.

Thank you for the info. I will be moving to the island in July. My husband has been working in St. Thomas since March. Prophecy elementary had been suggested to him as a choice for our four year old. I am having a hard time finding any information on that particular school. If anyone has any comments or suggestions on this school or others please respond.

P.S. Bethel Baptist Day School
Thanks