St Robert Catholic School

First of all, I was the first kindergarten class enrolled at this school in 1985. I love the parish and got married by a priest from this church. I bought a house in San Bruno in preparation to send my kids there. When I had my two kids, of course they were baptized there. When my son was ready to go to kindergarten, I was excited to enroll him into the school that I attended. My parents were so excited to have their grandson attend the school where they spend 19 years sending their 3 kids to.

Fast forward to today. Unfortunately my son was not accepted into this school even with my vast family history. When I inquired about why he did not get accepted, I got an answer that " there were too many boys that applied". When I dug around I found out that the vast majority of children accepted were caucasian. My family is asian. I had also heard of rumors that you have to make a sizable "donation" of thousands of dollars to be considered to be enrolled at this school. When you look around at the school the of the student population lacks diversity. I looked at my past kindergarten class photo. I was the only non-Caucasian student in a class of 40 kids.

According to the 2010 United States Census reported that San Bruno had a population of 41,114. The population density was 7,505.0 people per square mile (2,897.7/km²). The racial makeup of San Bruno was 20,350 (49.5%) White, 942 (2.3%) African American, 246 (0.6%) Native American, 10,423 (25.4%) Asian, 1,377 (3.3%) Pacific Islander, 5,075 (12.3%) from other races, and 2,701 (6.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12,016 persons (29.2%)

So with the above statement, the school should reflect the diversity that is great about San Bruno. Sadly it is not.

Another con with this school is that they have a whooping 36 kids in a tiny classroom. Even public school kindergarten in San Bruno is around 20 children.

This was a blessing in disguise. My son is at another Catholic School were the class size is less than 20. The kindergarten teacher is wonderful. He is reading and doing math. They have a science teacher, computer teacher, art teacher, a Spanish teacher too. He is thriving and is getting the individual attention from his teachers. The student population is very diverse and the principal is wonderful.

I would not recommend St Roberts to anyone based on my terrible experience.

We were fortunate NOT to have our kid get in, with hindsight. Great community and church, but the education is third rate (the only thing lower would be San Bruno public school). If you have high expectations for your child getting a solid foundation that will take them into a private college prep high school and beyond - this is not it - not even close. Contact the good private high schools and ask how many kids have come from St. Roberts . . . very, very few . . . I know, I made those calls early on.

So we went the private school route and while it costs much, much more, you get what you pay for. Our good friends didn't learn this until their kid got to high school (Cap) and saw how ill-prepared he was. Sure, he got good grades at SR's - but that's like saying you have the smartest kid on the short-school bus . . . fast forward . . . this poor kid is still struggling at Skyline community college wanting to transfer to SJSU next year.

Lesson learned - - do your research and do not weigh too heavily on Yelp or Google reviews -

I love escaping the city on Sundays to attend mass here! My best friend is a San Bruno resident, and our Sunday routine consists of going here and brunching afterwards down south.

Parking is always available across the street at San Bruno Park, even when we arrive just before mass starts. When I look at the traffic on Oak Ave. from St. Robert's private lot after mass, I'm glad to be walking in the opposite direction towards the park where we can easily drive out.

The interior elicits a simple yet divine grandeur. High ceilings make the room feel open and spacious. An abundance of natural light and fresh air flows through lovely stained-glass windows.

I noticed this parish sings rather than recites more responses than other churches I've attended. Nonetheless, the choir, cantor, and organist always do a splendid job with the liturgical music. "To sing is to pray twice," as St. Augustine once said.

Homilies here are enjoyable. Fr. Wilber is especially engaging with his loud voice and varied intonation, though he tends to speak a little fast.

The brief interactions I've had with parishioners during and after mass already have me convinced of how friendly and welcoming the St. Robert's community is. The camaraderie is admirable and noticeable, as illustrated by all the hard work and dedication of parishioners towards organizing a wildly successful parish festival. Various groups like the Grownups, In-Betweeners, Men's Club, Women's Guild, and Filipino-American Group are open and active. Be sure to take the parish bulletin handed out after mass to keep up with all the events and activities going on.

Even when I'm not from San Bruno, St. Robert's is a wonderful church and community that feels like home.

If I lived in San Bruno, this would be my go to church. I go here every now and then if I'm in the area and love the priests and staff here. You can really see how close knit the community is at the church.

Plenty of parking both next to the church and across the street at the park. But get here early if you want a seat - this is a very full congregation.

This a wonderful school and community. We chose the parish and then were fortunate enough to have our children attend the school - they are HAPPY and THRIVING. When kids need a little extra support we have always seen the school come through (whether for reading or math or social support). There is a strong community - the Womens' Guild is a helpful way to meet other parents. The yearly festival is fun for the kids and families -- it focuses more on class booths than just carnival rides - which sets the festival apart and is a reflection on the school. There is a top notch theater program that all the kids participate in. After school activities include Chess, Garden Club and sports (for the older kids). For working families there is excellent early care (7 am on) and after school care (until 6 pm).

We love this school. We love the parish, and I just had to get a shout out to the teachers and staff at St. Roberts School!

I am not a member, but attended my father's friend's service a year-in-a-half ago. It was a very eloquent service by a wonderful priest. It is an older but well maintained facility for anyone looking for a place of worship, a San Bruno institution for that matter.!

Been attending mass here for a few years. My kids like it because there is a children's church at the same time as the regular Sunday mass. The kids that are in second grade or younger go to the little church at the front and the older kids go to the middle church at the back of the church. They like going because it makes more sense to them. They also allow the kids from little church to go up around the altar when the priest is blessing the bread. They will call the kids up so you know when it is time for little church/middle church. People are friendly and it is right across from San Bruno park. Not too crowded except on religious holidays

Unless you are a resident of San Bruno forget about this school. My daughter recently went on a tour and she doesn't live in San Bruno (but is 13 minutes away via Map Quest). She loved the school. She so wanted to enroll her child there for kindergarten next year. Well, to her surprise the only thing Principal Wright was concerned with was where she lived. She discouraged her from even applying at the school stating it would be an inconvenience for her for after school activities based on the fact that she does not live in San Bruno. She also told her she would email her a list of Catholic schools in the city where she resides (which she never received). She never experienced a school tour where the principal (without directly saying it to you) just discourages a person from even applying based on where they live (or whatever reason she may have). It was a pretty awful experience and a real bad example of someone who runs a Catholic school.