Founded in 1903, St. Michael’s serves approximately 300 students in elementary and middle school. St. Michael’s is a safe and nurturing school committed to providing an affordable Catholic education to students in Transitional Kindergarten through Eighth Grade. We are a small school with a family atmosphere that nurtures a child’s love of learning and their faith. The school has maintained close ties with the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose since its founding in 1903.
We have a dedicated group of educators who work with families to provide the foundation for student success. We believe in educating the whole child: intellectually, spiritually, socially, and physically. Our school combines a traditional Catholic curriculum with a 21st century Blended STEAM pedagogy.
Our goal is to provide a quality Catholic education that will enable students to think for themselves, to make good critical decisions that are just and moral, to live with integrity, to care for others, to master necessary academic and technological skills, and to develop solid social and leadership abilities that will enable students to lead meaningful lives as good citizens.
We are located in South L.A.’s Westmont neighborhood, which is a diverse neighborhood with a primarily Hispanic and African American population. Our student body reflects the neighborhood and the local Catholic community with 2% Asian/Pacific Islander, 4% African American and 94% Hispanic students. Many families are bilingual with Spanish as their primary language.
Many school families are parishioners at St. Michael’s Parish. Regular Mass attendance by students and teachers helps to nurture that connection. Additionally, we host monthly Family Masses.The school population is 90% Catholic and 10% of other faiths. We welcome families of all faiths.
Our annual tuition is one of the most affordable in the area. We offer generous tuition assistance and merit scholarships. Approximately 96% of our families receive financial assistance. Since tuition provides just 30-35% of our annual revenue, we must raise hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to ensure we can continue to provide a robust tuition assistance program.
The teacher to student ratio is approximately 1 to 30 and we have aides in grades TK-2, which brings the teacher to student ratio down in those grades. While most students (about 89%) qualify for Title I services, due to budgetary challenges fewer students receive Title I services. The school staff are professionally qualified and are dedicated to the school’s mission and philosophy. All teachers hold a teaching credential and a Bachelors degree or are working to complete them as required by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Several teachers hold advanced degrees.
Most importantly, St. Michael’s School is a place where students feel loved, safe and challenged to live the Gospel by following their model, St. Michael the Archangel.
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