St. Frances of Rome School
Frances of Rome School is a K-8 school accredited by the Western Catholic Educational Association’s Elementary Commission (WCEA) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Schools (WASC), and is a part of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
St. Frances of Rome Parish School was opened in September, 1952. It began with five classrooms, grades 1-5, which were staffed by Benedictine sisters from St. Lucy’s Priory in Glendora. In successive years grades 6-8 were added. By 1955, seven sisters and one lay teacher served students in grades 1-8. In 1956, the auditorium was added, and from 1956 to 1963 prefabricated classrooms were added as needed to make a total of fourteen classrooms by 1963. In 1971, following a proposal by the Archdiocese, St. Frances of Rome School began phasing out double grades until there remained single classrooms for grades one through eight.
In 1985, the Kindergarten was added. In 1989, St. Frances of Rome School was selected as one of nine Catholic schools for a Quality Education Program Grant. Also, the school was awarded a Writing-To-Read Grant which began operation in the spring of 1990.
Successful fund-raising efforts by parents enabled the school to add new playground equipment and a wireless computer lab in 2002. The computer lab was fully refurbished with new equipment in 2008.
In the spring of 2004, St. Frances of Rome School was visited by teams representing WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) and WCEA (Western Catholic Education Association). At this time, the school was awarded the maximum accreditation period of six years. In 2010, St. Frances of Rome School once again received a six year clear accreditation.
The present staff is committed to carrying on the tradition of the Benedictine Sisters who pioneered an educational institution of which the parish and the city of Azusa can be justly proud. Evidence of this pride is found in the high percentage of students who are children of graduates and by the number of graduates who have returned as staff members.
The St. Frances of Rome School community continues to provide a Catholic education that focuses upon faith development and academic excellence.
Dr. Brian Wagner
734 N. Pasadena Ave
Azusa
CA
91702-2535
(626) 334-2018