At a Glance
A Staten Island parish Catholic school where faith formation meets civic patriotism, in the spirit of a Vietnam-era Navy chaplain.
Best suited for
Catholic families on Staten Island who want an affordable, faith-centered elementary school with a patriotic, inclusive ethos and a genuinely diverse community, and who are comfortable with larger class sizes than typical private schools offer.
What stands out
- An Animal Studies program alongside the usual art, music, and physical education offerings — uncommon at the elementary level and a nice hook for younger learners.
- A mission that explicitly links Catholic formation to patriotism and civic life, honoring Father Capodanno's chaplaincy legacy — distinctive among New York City Catholic schools.
- A genuinely diverse student body for a parish school, with no single racial or ethnic group dominating.
- Tuition posted as a flat $5,700 for 2025-26 — among the most affordable private elementary options in the city.
- An admissions stance that welcomes students across learning levels, rather than screening for a narrow academic profile.
Things to consider
- The student-teacher ratio is 21.7:1 — substantially larger classes than most NYC private schools, where 10:1 or better is common; parents used to small-group settings should ask how that's managed.
- Parent reviews are limited (8) and mixed at 3/5, so it's worth touring and talking to current families rather than relying on online sentiment alone.
- Total enrollment is 195 across seven grades, so each grade level is small — that's a tight community but also means fewer peers per cohort than larger schools.
- The patriotic-civic programming is part of the school's identity; families uncomfortable with that emphasis may find it a poor fit, while others will see it as a draw.
- Reaching the school means a 12- to 14-minute walk from the nearest SIR stop, or driving — worth factoring into the daily commute.
Identity
A coed Roman Catholic parish elementary school (PK-5) grounded in faith formation, academic excellence, and civic activities promoting patriotism — a distinctive blend that reflects its namesake, Father Vincent Capodanno, a chaplain killed in Vietnam. The school explicitly welcomes students of all learning levels, signaling an inclusive rather than selective admissions approach. It sits within a parish-school tradition rather than the high-tuition Catholic academy model.
Community
With a diversity index of 0.817, the student body is genuinely mixed: White students form a slim majority at 53.8%, with Black and Hispanic students each around 14%, Asian students near 10%, and a meaningful multiracial share. That mix is unusual for a parish school in many parts of the country and reflects the diversity of the surrounding Staten Island neighborhoods. The 8 parent reviews land at a middling 3/5, with reviewers split between satisfied families and concerns worth weighing.
Neighborhood
The school sits in the Grasmere-Arrochar-South Beach-Dongan Hills area of Staten Island's East Shore, where median household income is about $81,734 and roughly a third of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher — a solidly middle-income, working- and professional-family belt. The surrounding blocks are largely residential, and the school draws families from across this stretch of the Island. Getting here from the rest of the city requires the ferry or the Verrazzano, which is part of daily life for Staten Island families.
The closest rapid transit is the Staten Island Railway: Old Town (SIR) is about a 12-minute walk from the school, and Grasmere (SIR) is roughly 14 minutes on foot — most families will drive or rely on a school bus.
Notable Programs
What Parents Are Saying
Mixed reviews, rated 3 out of 5 from 8 reviews; one negative review cited
Synthesized from public parent reviews · Apr 2026
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is FATHER VINCENT CAPODANNO CATHOLIC a good school?
- Published quality ratings aren't available for FATHER VINCENT CAPODANNO CATHOLIC yet on Motley. It's a private school serving grades Pre-K to 5 in Grasmere-Arrochar-South Beach-Dongan Hills.
- What grades does FATHER VINCENT CAPODANNO CATHOLIC serve?
- FATHER VINCENT CAPODANNO CATHOLIC serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into FATHER VINCENT CAPODANNO CATHOLIC?
- FATHER VINCENT CAPODANNO CATHOLIC runs its own private admissions process — typically an application, a visit, and sometimes testing.
- Is FATHER VINCENT CAPODANNO CATHOLIC public, charter, or private?
- FATHER VINCENT CAPODANNO CATHOLIC is a private school.
- What neighborhood is FATHER VINCENT CAPODANNO CATHOLIC in?
- FATHER VINCENT CAPODANNO CATHOLIC is in Grasmere-Arrochar-South Beach-Dongan Hills, Staten Island.