The first class at Saint Francis High School consisted of 45 boys. Now, the Catholic preparatory high school has over 1,500 students, both girls and boys, and a staff of 100.
The school just celebrated its 50th year with a weekend of festivities on May 20 and 21, bringing over 1,200 alums and their families to the campus on Miramonte Avenue in Mountain View.
In 1954, the San Francisco Diocese granted the Congregation of the Holy Cross permission to take over the property for the purpose of establishing a secondary boys’ school, named for the patron saint of the diocese, Saint Francis of Assisi. The school opened its doors in 1955.
“It was during a time when there was a real need in this area,” said St. Francis spokesperson Kate Kiely. “There really wasn’t anything else.”
The land had previously been used for a school for the deaf and a temporary parish school.
In 1972, the school merged with Holy Cross, an all-girls high school near Saint Francis, to become a co-educational institution.
“That was a catalyst for all kinds of change on campus,” Kiely said.
From last year’s graduating class, 99 percent of the students continued on to college, with 92 percent attending a four-year institution.
— Molly Tanenbaum
