SAN DIEGO — The first day of school is just around the corner.
About 15,600 students are enrolled at local Catholic schools for the 2025-2026 academic year. This includes about 1,300 students at 31 preschools; 9,500 at 39 elementary schools; and 4,800 at six high schools.
Most of the diocese’s elementary schools will hold their first day of class between Aug. 13 and Aug. 26, with Aug. 20 being the most common start date.
Mater Dei Catholic High School students will return on Aug. 11. Three high schools – the Academy of Our Lady of Peace, Cathedral Catholic and Vincent Memorial Catholic – welcome back students on Aug. 13. St. Augustine and Cristo Rey San Diego high schools will follow on Aug. 14 and 18, respectively.
Diocesan Superintendent Leticia Oseguera said that this is a time of year “filled with new possibilities.”
“The children are always excited to start a new school year, be with their friends again, see their teachers, be back on campus,” she said. “It’s just a happy, exciting time.”
Oseguera shared that most students who attended St. Katharine Drexel Academy last year will be continuing in Catholic education. The school closed over the summer after a long battle with low enrollment and growing budget deficits, and the diocesan Office for Schools offered a $1,000 tuition discount for the 2025-2026 school year to every student who finished last year at the school and opted to attend another local Catholic elementary school this year.
Many families took the diocese up on that offer. When the bell rings on the first day of class, former St. Katharine Drexel Academy students will be found at St. Didacus School, St. John of the Cross School in Lemon Grove, St. Kieran School in El Cajon, St. Martin of Tours Academy in La Mesa, St. Patrick School (North Park) and St. Therese Academy, among other schools.
Nine schools have new principals this year: Dominican Father Allan White at St. Mary’s School, El Centro; María Guadalupe Hernández at St. John of the Cross School; Jamie Brandt at St. Martin of Tours Academy, La Mesa; Annalisa Burgos at Nazareth School; Dawn Wright at St. Michael’s School, Poway; Francie Moss and Katie Zack as co-principals at Stella Maris Academy, La Jolla; David Blair at St. Charles School, Imperial Beach; Lorena Hernandez at St. Pius X School, Chula Vista; and Jeff McMurtry at Cathedral Catholic High School.
As in past years, the Office for Schools is offering a slew of orientations and professional learning opportunities in late summer for Catholic educators.
“(Catholic educators) do this because it’s a calling and because they want to make a difference in the lives of our students,” said Oseguera. “And so, I hope that through the support that we provide, they know how much we appreciate them and how we want to make sure that we’re making their jobs a little easier.”
On Aug. 7, pastors and principals will gather for a synodal dialogue.
Oseguera said that the event, which was called for by Bishop Michael Pham, builds upon a listening session held last May. It will focus on the importance of the partnership between pastors and principals, she said, and promote the idea that parishes and their schools should be “working together as one.”
The annual Religion Convocation, typically held in August, has been rescheduled for October to better accommodate the schedules of local teachers and principals. The event, which draws more than 1,000 Catholic educators and catechists, includes a keynote speaker and Mass. Removing the event from amidst the hustle and bustle of late summer preparations for a new school year, the convocation will be expanded into a full-day event.
For Oseguera, the excitement of a new bishop adds to the excitement of a new school year.
“The fact that we have a new bishop is going to be new and exciting for our schools,” she said two days before the July 17 installation of Bishop Pham as the seventh bishop of San Diego.
She noted that, while still an auxiliary bishop, Bishop Pham was “my partner in a lot of school issues” last year.
“He’s very involved with schools; he cares deeply about schools,” she said. “And so, I’m excited for him to officially step into the role and see his vision for our Catholic schools.”
