At a Glance
A Staten Island Catholic elementary school weaving faith into every grade, with a wide tuition range that reflects its parish-supported model.
Best suited for
Catholic families — ideally registered parishioners looking to take advantage of lower tuition — who want a faith-centered elementary education in a stable South Shore Staten Island community and don't mind a larger school environment.
What stands out
- The tuition range of $4,576 to $15,136 suggests a meaningful parish-subsidy structure, where registered parishioners typically pay significantly less than non-parish families.
- Religious instruction is integrated into the core curriculum across all grades, not offered as a separate add-on.
- NCEA accreditation signals adherence to national Catholic school standards for academics, faith formation, and governance.
- A robust extracurricular lineup for an elementary school — CYO basketball, dance, choir, Girl Scouts, and step — gives kids multiple ways to find their niche.
- With 507 students, St. Clare offers more grade-level peers and program depth than many smaller parish schools.
Things to consider
- Parent reviews flag class sizes up to 31+ students, which is large for an elementary classroom and worth asking about for any specific grade.
- Some families have raised concerns about administrative decisions and perceived favoritism — a recurring theme in the online reviews that prospective parents should read carefully.
- The community is racially and culturally homogeneous compared to NYC overall, which may matter to families seeking a more diverse environment.
- Staten Island means a long commute from Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Queens — this school works best for families who live on the South Shore or are committed to the drive.
- At a 17.8:1 overall ratio, the school is middle-of-the-road; small-class benefits will depend on actual grade-level sectioning.
Identity
St. Clare is a coeducational Roman Catholic elementary school founded in the parish school tradition, with religious instruction woven into the curriculum from pre-K onward. The school is accredited by the National Catholic Educational Association and operates as part of the broader Catholic school network on Staten Island.
Community
With 507 students, St. Clare is one of the larger Catholic elementary schools on Staten Island, and its demographics reflect the neighborhood around it: roughly 94% White, with very small representation from other racial and ethnic groups. The community is tight-knit and rooted in the parish — families tend to know each other across grades and stay for the full elementary run.
Neighborhood
Great Kills-Eltingville is a settled, middle- and upper-middle-income neighborhood on Staten Island's South Shore, with a median household income around $120,000 and a relatively low poverty rate. The area has a distinctly suburban feel — single-family homes, parish life, and car-dependent errands — and the families who send kids to St. Clare typically live within a short drive. The BA+ education rate of about 40% points to a population that values formal schooling.
Getting here by transit means the Staten Island Railway: Great Kills station is about a 7-minute walk, Eltingville about 16 minutes, and Bay Terrace roughly 20 minutes — though most families drive.
Notable Programs
What Parents Are Saying
Mixed reviews; parents praise dedicated teachers and academic focus, but note large class sizes (up to 31+ students) and some concerns about favoritism and administrative decisions
Synthesized from public parent reviews · Apr 2026
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is ST CLARE SCHOOL a good school?
- Published quality ratings aren't available for ST CLARE SCHOOL yet on Motley. It's a private school serving grades Pre-K to 5 in Great Kills-Eltingville.
- What grades does ST CLARE SCHOOL serve?
- ST CLARE SCHOOL serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into ST CLARE SCHOOL?
- ST CLARE SCHOOL runs its own private admissions process — typically an application, a visit, and sometimes testing.
- Is ST CLARE SCHOOL public, charter, or private?
- ST CLARE SCHOOL is a private school.
- What neighborhood is ST CLARE SCHOOL in?
- ST CLARE SCHOOL is in Great Kills-Eltingville, Staten Island.