7 Reasons Parents Choose St. Mark Lutheran School

Choosing a school for your child is one of the biggest decisions you will make as a parent. You want the very best for your children – not only in their academics, but also in their social-emotional health, their peer relationships, and their faith life.

Every school year, over 100 Green Bay and De Pere-area families choose St. Mark Lutheran School for their kids. There, they discover a school community where their child is seen, valued, and nurtured. 

But rather than simply explaining why St. Mark Lutheran School is different, we thought it would mean more to let real St. Mark families tell you themselves! 

The quotes below come directly from parents who send their kids to St. Mark. We’ve distilled them into seven very special reasons why families choose our school. 

Reason #1: Christ-Centered Education Comes First

For many St. Mark families, the decision starts and ends with faith. Luke Hockers, a St. Mark parent, put it simply: "We first focused on having God in our children's lives."

For Rachel Smith, another St. Mark parent, the decision had little to do with convenience. "For us, it was less about proximity or location, and it was more about finding a school that was rooted in Christian values. A school where we knew that they would be reinforcing those values throughout the school day."

Another school dad, Solomon Ayres, shared a specific example that stuck with him: His daughter's teacher, Mrs. Dorst, spent an entire week bringing the story of the Jericho walk to life in the classroom. He explained why this is so meaningful: “They're learning those stories and I'm relearning these stories, because it's kind of like bringing me back. I feel like I'm starting to understand more because of what the kids are bringing home and what we have to read to them. It's actually teaching all of us more about what things actually mean. And now, as an adult, I can be like, 'Oh, now I can actually assess what that really means.'"

Sue Heimerl, whose family has been part of St. Mark for two decades, shared a similar heart behind her family's decision: "We have been part of the St. Mark Church family for over 20 years, and when we had kids, we knew we wanted Christian education to be part of that. So it was natural to be able to come to school at the place where our kids were already part of the church community."

At St. Mark, faith formation is not a one-way street from school to child. It becomes a shared partnership experience for the whole family.

Reason #2: Small Class Sizes, Individualized Attention

Ask any St. Mark parent what stands out, and “small class sizes” come up again and again. Every classroom is single-grade at St. Mark, with the exception of our combined 3K/4K preschool program at Green Bay. 

Luke Hockers explained why this matters so much for his two daughters: "All kids are at different levels. So the attention that both of our daughters get, they're getting exactly what they need throughout the course of a day, whether it be at different subjects, math, reading. They're able to help in so many different ways with the smaller sizes, with the functions that they have within the school at St. Mark."

He also described what he believes would be different at a larger school: "In larger class sizes, you tend to get lost. You kind of go with the grade. Here, they're very conscious as to where every student is, and they're able to help develop them, to get them where they need to be, versus just going from grade to grade."

Sue Heimerl saw this play out with all three of her children through St. Mark's Student Services program. Her kids used it for extra enrichment: "They were identified as kids who maybe could use an extra challenge in a good way," she shared, describing how the program gave her children individualized learning opportunities alongside their regular classroom lessons.

Reason #3: A True Family Feel

The word “family” also comes up again and again when discussing St. Mark Lutheran School with its parents. Luke Hockers described it this way: "It's really a family at St. Mark. Everyone knows each other. We feel like we're a part of St. Mark. We don't just send them to school. We're a part of the school."

Part of that connection comes through events like Breakfast with Dads, which Luke said is one of his favorite parts of being involved at the school. 

Reason #4: Teachers Who Genuinely Care

At St. Mark, teachers care about the whole child. Sue Heimerl shared what this has meant for her own kids: "What I love most about the school is my kids walk out of here knowing that they matter and they're loved. They make sure kids know that they are loved for exactly who they are. And they know how much God loves them."

This care extends well beyond the classroom and beyond graduation. Sue described the relationships her family has built with St. Mark staff over the years: "I feel the same relationship with a number of the teachers where I feel like if you see them at church or in a store or at the mall, they will stop and ask, ‘how are you doing?’ And they genuinely care."

She shared a particularly meaningful example. When her mother passed away a few years ago, St. Mark's staff showed up in a way she will never forget: "The way the teachers reached out, the way they supported our kids, the way they supported our family, was just incredible. We had a number of teachers and people from St. Mark's staff come to my mom's visitation."

Even St. Mark's students notice this care. Fourth-grader Kira shared: "I like that about the school a lot, how kind the teachers are, how much they care about the students... You can tell they try their best." 

She added that she can see her teachers' passion firsthand: "They're passionate about their teaching. I can see they're smiling, they're teaching them... It's almost like they're looking like they're having fun teaching the kids."

Seventh-grader Ezra echoed this from a slightly different angle, describing how teachers handle conflicts: "They're really nice and they're good people, and they have good faith. So if you're doing something wrong, they're not yelling or they're not talking to you about it because they want you in trouble. They're talking to you about it because they want you to be better as a person."

Reason #5: A Welcoming Transition for New Families

Many St. Mark families send their children to the school from preschool or kindergarten on, but many others transfer their kids to the school in older grades. For families who are new to the area or switching schools, the transition to St. Mark can feel surprisingly seamless.

Luke Hockers and his family moved back to Wisconsin after living in Maryland, where his daughters had spent their entire lives until that point. He shared how nervous that transition could have been: "The friends that they met and the teachers that they had just made the transition, moving back to Wisconsin, so much easier on our family. Having the support, the structure, and the amount of attention that the kids got."

He also described a moment that felt like more than a coincidence. When his family first toured St. Mark, there happened to be two open spots – in exactly his daughters' grades: "It was almost like it was meant to be!”

And that comfort has stuck with him well beyond enrollment day. "It's a very comfortable feeling dropping off your kids at St. Mark and knowing that they're in a protected environment. The education that they're getting is top-notch."

Reason #6: A Heart for Serving Others

At St. Mark, community service is not an afterthought. It is woven into our school's culture, and parents notice its impact on their kids.

Sue Heimerl shared how this has shaped her own children: "St. Mark sets kids up for success by instilling in them a servant heart through the community-minded things that we do. It sets them up for what they might want to do down the road." She has seen this play out directly, as two of her older children are now pursuing service-minded careers.

Younger students feel this too. Second-grader Miles talked about a food drive his class participated in: "They help people. They set up a thing to help poor people and they gave them food." When asked how that made him feel, his answer was simple: "It just makes me feel like a really kind person."

Fourth-grader Kira described similar experiences, from donating to a local food pantry to older students raking leaves for neighbors in need. For Kira, the reason behind it all comes back to faith: "Because God was kind to us, so he wants us to be kind to other people too, just like he did."

Reason #7: Well-Rounded Opportunities Beyond the Classroom

St. Mark students have access to a range of electives and extracurriculars – and for many families, this variety makes a real difference.

Luke Hockers shared how smoothly his daughter transitioned into a new activity through St. Mark's afterschool program: "My oldest daughter is just starting cheer this week... She loves being with her friends, and how that's really, she was in gymnastics and now she's going into cheer, and that transition has been outstanding." 

He added that the school's afterschool program made the logistics easy: "There's an afterschool program where they're able to get their homework done, and then they go right into cheer."

Sue Heimerl's children explored other electives, including baking and a ministry-focused elective that left a lasting impression: "Our son participated in the baking class and just had a really great experience learning different ways to function in a kitchen." 

Of the ministry elective, she said: "When my daughter was part of the elective for ministry, they went on some fantastic field trips. It was amazing how her faith grew in that because she learned different strategies for sharing her faith with the people around her."

We Hope You Experience the St. Mark Difference!

These themes weren’t brainstormed in a marketing session. They came directly from the parents and students who experience the St. Mark difference, all school year long. 

Every family's reasons for choosing a school are personal. But across dozens of conversations with St. Mark families, the same words keep surfacing: family, faith, love, care, community.

If you are considering St. Mark for your child, we would love for you to experience this for yourself. Schedule a tour today or call our school office with any questions.