History of St. Perpetua

Archbishop John J. Mitty of San Francisco established St. Perpetua Parish in 1952.   The present church and original hall were opened in 1953.  In 1961 the rectory and school were built. In 2002 the school began an expansion that added 13K square feet of classroom space.  In 2017, The Great Hall expansion began.  When completed in 2019, the hall grew from 3.5K sq ft to 10.5K sq ft.

St. Perpetua School opened in 1963 with 200 students enrolled in grades one through five. Over the next 3 years, grades 6-8 were added.  The first graduating class, on 6/10/67, had 35 students. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet were the original educators.  Over time lay teachers were hired and, today, St. Perpetua School is led by our Church pastor and our principal.  33 teachers and staff make up the balance of the team that supports student faith formation and education.  

St Perpetual School strives to:

  • Provide a faith-based, caring community, managed by accountability, and appropriate discipline, which results in well-rounded and well-behaved students

  • Model and teaching a faith-based curriculum resulting in a quality religious education

  • Employ professional teachers and staff who care about our student's academic and faith development

  • Partner with our parent community fostered through parent participation and leadership.  This results in a close-knit community that provides an optimal learning environment 

Currently, St. Perpetua School has 269 students enrolled in TK – 8th Grade.  We offer students a broad academic experience that includes elective courses for junior high.  In addition to Math, Science, Social Studies, Language Arts, and Religion, we offer our students classes in Spanish, Physical Education, art, music, and Garden of Learning.  Our school leverages technology (Smartboard, iPad, Chromebook, etc.) to ensure our students are prepared for responsible use inside and outside the classroom.  

We emphasize academic excellence through critical thinking, intellectual thought, writing, creative expression, and problem-solving across all academic areas.  Our school employs a variety of teaching methods including differentiated instruction.  Math and Language Arts Learning Support Coordinators are also on staff.

Each grade lesson plan ensures students have an opportunity to develop and hone leadership skills. Students are taught to set goals and identify steps to achieve them using organization and time management.  Teachers promote the development of empathy and Catholic values to influence effective communication skills and conflict resolution to foster respect of self and others.  Additional student support is available from our on-site counselor.

  • Student Leadership (3rd-8th, Junior High Officers)

  • Faith Families & Class Buddies

  • Junior High Science Fair, Scripps Spelling Bee, and National Geographic Geography Bee

  • San Francisco Symphony, Chabot Space & Science Center, Academy of Sciences, Lawrence Hall of Science, Lesher Center performances

  • Colonial Days, Cal Shakes, Civil War Days

  • Philanthropic Acts:  World of Change, Food Drives, Holiday Giving Tree, Junior High Service Hours

  • Family Picnic and Mass, St. Perpetua Tee Off for Technology, Taste of St. Perpetua, Peppermint Shoppe, Christmas Sharing, Sweetheart Dance, Annual School Auction, Talent Show and Special Person’s Day