Where Faith Meets Academic Excellence
The idea of a Catholic preschool in the Alta Loma area began in 1983 with the vision of Father Charles O’Connor, then-pastor of St. Peter and St. Paul Catholic Church. By the fall of 1984, the new parochial preschool opened its doors to parish families and the local community with the help of seed money from parishioners, the local Knights of Columbus, and the St. Peter & St. Paul Parish Bridge Club. A kindergarten class—complete with 20 students—was added the following year, and the education program was officially renamed as St. Peter and St. Paul Catholic School in 1985.
From the start, St. Peter and St. Paul Catholic School was designed to be a place where students’ education and religious upbringing would thrive together. The school’s founding director, Mrs. Joanne Martin, established a teaching philosophy centered on hands-on, developmental learning and a faith-based curriculum. The school continues to embrace this philosophy of learning today.
Our school has achieved several milestones since its inception. The preschool received its initial accreditation with the National Association for the Education of Young Children in 1991 and maintained it through June 2014. In August 2010, a first grade class was incorporated into the school, thanks to the support and vision of former pastor, Father Patrick Kirsch. As we began the 2017-2018 school year, the vision of expanding to include 6th grade became a reality.
In May 2012, St. Peter and St. Paul Catholic School was recognized as a Full Candidate for Western Catholic Educational Association (WCEA) Accreditation. Our school is in good standing with the WCEA accrediting agency and successfully completed its first accreditation visit in February of 2015.
Over the years, our school has also expanded its programs to include technology, before and after school care, fully credentialed teachers, instructional aides, co-curricular teachers for art, music, Spanish, physical education, and three office employees as its faculty and staff.
In August 2018, our school completed the expansion into the St. Teresa of Calcutta building that houses our school office, middle school, and S.T.E.A.M. Lab thanks to the generosity of many parishioners, donors, sponsors, former graduates, and families. As we begin the 2019-20 school year, we welcome our first 8th grade class. St. Peter and St. Paul Catholic School continues to thrive and grow, and our administrators and staff look forward to a bright future in which area families can receive a high quality, Catholic education.
