Presentation High School

My niece went to Presentation and she had a wonderful education experience there, even
though she is not a Catholic. I did not know that religion class was mandatory, very interesting.
My son graduated from Bellarmine in 1987, and religion classes were NOT mandatory.
Both of us would not trade the education he had there for nothing. Of course, the cost was much less in the 80’s. I can hardly believe how much the tuition has gone up in these schools.

For over a year, we took our daughter to AVAC to learn how to swim. In that year, she learned how to stand up in 2 feet of water and move her feet and arms around and give us the impression of swimming. I think Criss Angel was her instructor.
After that debacle, we were hesitant to put her in another swim school right away. But, after a year off, we were referred to Presentation High by a good friend. PH is leaps and bounds better than AVAC. Even though, that’s not that hard, given our experience, they really stand out on how much effort they put in teaching the kids.
First off, registration is easy (Summer classes only). Basically, you can just do it online. Second. when you get there, you just look to see who your kid is with and they will call them when it’s time. Third, the instructors are fantastic! I don’t know if they are all high school students, but they all seem to be fairly young. Nonetheless, they are awesome! We’ve had Mimi, Lindsay, Megan, Luke, and Jessica to name a few. Can’t say enough good things! When class is over, they will give you a brief summary of their progress.
Classes usually run about a week (4 days) and each class is 1-​on-​1 for 25 minutes. Saturdays are available, as well. The pool itself is used for competitions and is kept in great condition. For the parents waiting, they put up canopies, so they can sit down in seats or benches and watch their kids during class.

Pres. Is a great school that really cares about their students. My two daughters have attended and they loved it. It’s pricey but I think worth the money. They have a great curriculum and their sports program is competitive. Definitely a great school

Presentation is a catholic all girls high school. Tuition is $ 17k. Each year they take 200+ students, 60% come from Catholic schools, 20% from other private schools like Challenger, Stratford, Almaden Day and the other 20% from public schools.
Principal Mary Miller’s Open House speech on the effectiveness of all girl schools is one of the best I’ve seen. She pointedly illustrates how today’s women of power are the product of an all girls’ school education.
Presentation is named after the Presentation Sisters who founded the school. It is hidden in a nice residential neighborhood in San Jose called Willow Glen and is next door to St Christopher school. The school’s motto is «Deeds, not Words» which helps explain the tight bond these students build while attending Presentation.
Its chief rival is the all girls Notre Dame High School in downtown San Jose. You should have your daughter shadow both schools, and take the HSPT test at the school she favors.

Great for an academic education. Excellent college prep. Money talks.
1 star: Safe campus
1 star: Great sense of community spirit
1 star: Excellent college preparedness
1 star: Four years they’ll fondly remember
0 stars: Softball/​Athletic program like a train wreck you can’t stop looking at.

One of the best high schools in the country. This is recognized as an exceptional all girls Catholic, prep school. Many of the most selective institutions in Higher Education make regular visits during the fall. It’s so busy that colleges are double-​booked in order for them to accommodate the many schools that want to visit. Don’t worry, they are sure to book schools that do not cross applications.
It is well-​regarded for its solid academic curriculum, outstanding sports programs and respected performing arts department. Young women are transformed into game-​changers from this fine institution.

go panthers! class of 2004 :)

Bless my parents’ hearts for spending a total of 52k to send me and my sister here.
Gosh, I wish we could get that money back. Not because it wasn’t worth it but because that’s a lot of money to pay for high school education! Actually tuition for the ’10-’11 year is $ 14,045. That’s steep as is all Catholic school tuition with inflation about 7%.
The good:
–very safe campus: zero tolerance for boys, alcohol, drugs, or smoking on campus
–uniforms made it convenient and I liked not having to worry about what to wear to school
–strong English department
–small class size
–Spanish dept rocked (love ya señor Fernandez!)
–very committed to giving back to community: toy drive, food drive, penny drive, community involvement club
–lots of half days: no school is cool
The bad:
–I don’t think the education was that great
–ethnically and religiously not very diverse– more than 70% white and even higher % catholic
–preferential treatment for admission to girls who have family members who are alums, people with lots of money, and those who come from the feeder catholic schools
–religion class was mandatory for ⁷⁄₈ semesters even for non-​Catholics
–money talks big time
–math and science depts were weak for the most part: they had no AP chemistry or AP physics (mr pistacchi and mrs mcbride were good and dedicated teachers though)
–Did private school actually increase the chance of getting into a good college? I’d say no because my friends who went to public schools got into just as good (if not better) colleges than my classmates at Pres.
If I had a son, I would absolutely send him to Bellarmine. It’s about the same price, but has a much stronger academic and athletic presence. It’s also more established and an all boys school though, so girls wouldn’t be able to go there. I think Bellarmine is worth the cost, but Pres, I don’t know. To conclude this very long review, if you have two children, one daughter and one son, and only have money to send one to private HS, then send your son to Bellarmine.
Disclaimer: this is in NO way endorsing Notre Dame HS as a better alternative to Pres. If I had to choose between the two, I’d still choose Pres.

This is a great all girls private school.
The teachers are very well rounded and helpful. The staff is pretty patient for all those things they have to deal with.
They promote higher education. Even though you’re no longer paying tuition, they will support you and write any recommendations you need, no matter how long it’s been since you’ve visted/​kept in touch with them.
Although tuition is pretty steep, it’s worth it. A great investment to any young girl’s future!