St. George School has operated continuously since it opened in 1920. It has an interesting past that is filled with success and change.
The idea of a Catholic school was presented to the current pastor, Fr. Becker, in 1917, only twelve years after the founding of the parish. Some 14 women of the new parish met in June of 1917 and formed the very first, St. George Ladies Guild. The ladies decided to have the first capital campaign and raise funds to build a Catholic School. In two years those ladies secured pledges from prominent families in the surrounding area and help various fund-raisers to reach the goal of $4,000.
The money was used to build the first school on the south side of “D” street, next to our parish’s first church on the corner of Palm and “D” streets. On the 16th of May, with the blessing of Bishop John J. Cantwell, Bishop of Monterey and Los Angeles, and under the direction of the newly appointed pastor, Fr. James Martin, St. George School was dedicated and ready to open that following September.
The new pastor contracted with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange to staff the school. The first principal, Sister Isabelle and three of her Sisters, came and taught 66 students in the first classes. The first 8th grade class of five students graduated in 1921.
The Sisters of St. Joseph remained at St. George School for its first 50 years. Classes were held in that first four-room schoolhouse for 27 years until 1947, when Bishop Buddy of San Diego broke ground on the new school on the north side of “D” street and Fern. Within four years, four additional classrooms and a basement with a kitchen were added to the facility and the enrollment of St. George School reached nearly 400.
In 1953 there were 40 students in the 8th grade graduating class and in 1962 there were 48 students in the 8th grade graduating class. By the mid 1980’s the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange left our school permanently and the school began to go through a period of difficult years. In spite of all the transitions, St. George School proudly boasts of several thousand graduates, taught by hundreds of teachers and administered by 31 principals, and is still going strong.
Thanks to the generosity of many parishioners, donors, sponsors and former graduates and families our school continues to thrive and grow. We look forward to a bright future in which St. George School provides families in the Ontario area with a high quality Catholic educational experience.
