IMPORTANT DATES FOR 2024-2025 ADMISSIONS
Kindergarten Tours Dates:
- Tuesday, October 3rd 2023, 9am-10:15am
- Wednesday, October 4th 2023, 9:00am-10:15am
Applications can be found here:
Kindergarten Application 2024 - 2025 - Children who enroll in Kindergarten must be 5 years old by September 1st.
Grades 1 - 7 Application 2024 - 2025
Application - if you are interested in applying for the upcoming 2023-2024 School Year, please contact Mrs. Nicole Mullen directly at office@sfststephenschool.org.
Application/screening fee is $50.00. Cash/Check made payable to St. Stephen School. Please remit the fee and Birth certificate or Baptismal Certificate with the application. Once your application is completed it can be mailed to
St. Stephen School, 401 Eucalyptus Drive, San Francisco, CA 94132 or you are welcome to drop it off at our front office during office hours from 7:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Monday thru Friday. You can also email the application to Mrs. Nicole Mullen at office@sfststephenschool.org.
INFORMATION ABOUT OUR SCHOOL
What are the school hours?
School starts for all students at 8:00 AM every morning. Kindergarten is dismissed at 2:30 PM Monday through Friday. Grades one through eight are dismissed at 2:30 PM on Monday and 2:50 PM Tuesday through Friday. On minimum days (in-services, faculty meetings, etc.) , school is scheduled from 8:00 AM until 12:15 PM for all students.
How many students are in each classroom?
We average 32 students per grade. Our experienced and energetic teachers have excellent classroom management skills which allow all our students to succeed. Recognizing the value of additional support staff to enhance education, we have aides in Grades Kindergarten, First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth. For all our students, we provide specialized teachers in English, Math, Science, Technology, Spanish, Physical Education and Music. We have committed after-school teacher support in Technology and Math. Six teachers, departmentalized by their areas of expertise, teach our Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Graders. In addition, our Learning Resource Specialist collaborates with our classroom teachers to ensure all students become successful learners.
How much is tuition and how is it paid?
For 2022-2023, tuition for one student whose parents meet participation requirements and who are registered, contributing members of Saint Stephen Parish is $8,720.00. The Non-Parishioner rate per student is $9,580.00. Committed to providing an affordable Catholic education to all our families, we offer discounted tuition for siblings.
Each family pays tuition online via the FACTS Tuition Management System. Parents may elect to pay the tuition in full at the beginning of the school year, at the beginning of each semester, or on a monthly basis.
Is extended care available?
Yes, Extended Care (EC) is available after school. The program operates five days a week from dismissal until 5:00 p.m.
Our EC provides a comprehensive after school program in a safe and secure environment. Students can complete homework inside EC in a quiet space conducive to studying. EC staff supervises and coordinate art projects in the Art Room, sports in the schoolyard, and group games. Once enrolled by completing an application and paying a $55.00 registration fee, a family may use the program on a regular, full time or a drop-in basis. Families may pay a yearly rate of $2,300 or a drop in hourly rate of $8.00 per hour for EC. Parents whose children use the service are billed monthly.
Does the school offer hot lunch?
Yes, we offer our hot lunch program four days a week. The daily lunch includes fruits and vegetables to encourage healthy habits. Students may purchase lunch every day or only on select days.
How many new students will be accepted?
In the last few years, we have enrolled approximately 32 students in our kindergarten. Based on our parent survey, we expect that half the kindergarten enrollment next year will be made up of brothers and sisters of current St. Stephen School students. We have receive many requests for enrollment information both from families currently part of the St. Stephen School community and new families.
We do not have many openings in other grades. However, we expect we will enroll approximately ten new students this year for grades one to seven.
What documents must we submit to apply to Kindergarten?
1) The completed application
2) An original, official, embossed birth certificate or baptismal certificate as proof of age
3) A $50.00 Application Fee
When does the school make decisions regarding Kindergarten Acceptance?
After the Kindergarten Screening, we will begin making acceptance decisions the week following the screening.
What documents must we submit to apply to Grades 1-7?
1) The completed application
2) The most recent student report card
3) A $50.00 Application Fee
When will the School notify us about the status of our application to Grades 1-7?
When we complete our current students’ re-registration process, (no later than April 1st), we will begin accepting students for grades one through seven to fill any openings we have.
What happens if I receive a letter of acceptance?
We will provide a deadline, approximately one week, to submit the appropriate fees to hold your child’s place. These fees are non-refundable. If you change your mind and do not send your child to the school for any reason, the fees are still non-refundable. If the office does not receive the fees to hold your child’s place by the stated deadline, we can no longer hold the space and will offer it to another applicant.
What if my child has been put on the waiting list?
Due to the number of applicants, we may place some children on our wait list. Our experience has been that openings develop even up to the beginning of the school year. When that happens, we reconsider all the applicants on our waiting list. We will contact wait listed families as soon as possible when spaces becomes available.
Why should we choose St. Stephen School for our child(ren)?
St. Stephen School is a dynamic, diverse and integral part of Saint Stephen Parish. Founded in 1952, we have a tradition of excellence in educating children in a faith-filled, supportive and nurturing environment. Our school motto “Treat each other with kindness and respect”, reflected in all that we say and do, instills and fosters in our students compassion, inclusivity, and empathy.
Principal Sharon McCarthy Allen directs a dedicated and engaged faculty and staff who are committed to our students’ academic success, social growth and spiritual awareness. Our teachers and staff encourage, inspire and challenge our students. Through cutting-edge in-service training and workshops, our faculty ensures our students will achieve and succeed in our fast-paced society. Once they graduate from Saint Stephen, our students are motivated to excel and prepared to complete rigorous college preparatory curriculums as demonstrated by their performances in 7th and 8th grade academics and standardized tests. The majority of Saint Stephen School graduates elect to attend high school at San Francisco Catholic Schools where they can build on their Saint Stephen education that has taught them to think critically, communicate articulately, and problem solve creatively. Incorporating spirituality into all aspects of their lives, our students value community service and social justice as demonstrated by their volunteerism both at Saint Stephen and our local communities.
In a testament to the unwavering professional and personal efforts and devotion of our faculty and staff, the WCEA/WASC accreditation team, which evaluates Saint Stephen School every six years, awarded the school its highest possible rating in 2017. The evaluators summarized,
"The Visiting Committee observed a leadership and faculty that are fully committed to educational excellence, success for all students and a collaborative spirit that surpasses expectations. The school’s decision-making structures have been effective and represent significant commitments from all aspects of the administration, faculty, staff and parents. All share the common goal of promoting student success."
We truly value our close-knit, enthusiastic community, comprised of parents and parishioners, who generously support the children of St. Stephen School. Our parents serve as leaders on our on school boards, coach CYO teams, volunteer at and attend both our fundraisers and friendrairsers, including our Family Bingo Night, Annual Auction, Easter Egg Hunt, and Grandparents Day. They chair our daily hot lunch program, provide yard duty, and chaperone our field trips. Our parents’ energy, expertise and wisdom enrich and improve the lives of our students.
What is your admission policy?
St. Stephen School, mindful of its mission to be witness to the love of Christ for all, admits students of any race, color, and national and/or ethnic origins to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded to or made available to students at this school. St. Stephen School does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, and national and/or ethnic origin, age, sex or disability in administration of educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.