"All blessings come to us through our Lord. He will teach us, for in beholding his life we find that he is the best example.”
- TERESA OF AVILA
St. Jerome School is a Catholic elementary school founded to assist parents in their primary responsibility for the Christian education of their children. It is under the supervision of the Department of Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and is staffed by dedicated lay teachers. In 2016, St Jerome School received the full six-year accreditation from the western Catholic education Association (WCEA) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). St. Jerome School is a integral part of the whole parish family, providing an environment for the development of gospel values and the living out of Christian community. The staff at St. Jerome School endeavors to accept each child as a unique individual with special gifts of mind and soul. Furthermore students are encouraged to accept each other in the same spirit.
St. Jerome School, founded by the Sisters of St Joseph of Carondelet, opened in 1952 with eight classrooms, serving students in Grades 1-8. The school grew rapidly and by 1961, St. Jerome School was thriving with sixteen classrooms. By 1978, due to declining enrollment, the school was once again a single classroom school. In 1973 a kindergarten was added. And since 1978 a computer lab, a library, an office, a mailroom, extended care room, a science lab, an art room, and an activity/meeting room have been added in the available classrooms. In 1987 an Extended Care Program for all students enrolled in the school, was initiated in response to growing needs and parent requests. In 1998 a physical fitness playground was erected and in the same year the computer lab and library were redesigned to provide greater use of technology and media. Computer lab and classroom computers were wired to have access to the Internet and intra-school communication. In April of 1997 a School Board was established to consult in the governance of the school. A School Support Organization was formed in 2002 to assist and drive school fundraising. In 2019, all middle school students will have one-o-one Chromebooks and all elementary students will have one-to-one iPads.
Religious education in the Roman Catholic tradition is the primary purpose of St Jerome School’s existence. All students participate in the process of integrating their faith with their academic experience. A formal religion class is taught daily. Each class attends 8:00 am Mass one morning each week. The entire student body gathers for Mass once each month.
