Serra School History

Founded in 1944, Junípero Serra High School opened its doors with just five faculty members and 86 freshman and sophomore boys. Established by Archbishop Mitty as a college-preparatory school for young men in San Mateo County, Serra was named in honor of Padre Junípero Serra and was the first Catholic high school west of the Mississippi staffed entirely by diocesan priests.

80 Years: Always Forward — Key Milestones

1944
 Serra High School founded by Archbishop Mitty with five faculty members and 86 students.
1952
 Archdiocese purchases 12.5-acre property on West 20th Avenue in San Mateo.
1955
 Serra opens its newly constructed West 20th Avenue campus under Principal Reverend Thomas I. Kennedy, enrolling 576 students.
1960s
 Expansion of lay faculty and investment in academic staff under Monsignor James F. Maher.
1970s
 Curriculum expansion, facility enhancements and launch of Campus Ministry program under Reverend Ludwig M. Andre.
1978
 Serra establishes the president-principal leadership model with Michael Peterson as first lay principal and Reverend Stephen H. Howell as first president.
2002
 Reverend Joseph P. Bradley '73 begins tenure as Serra president.
2008
 Barry Thornton, Ed.D., joins Serra as principal, later becoming president in 2018.
Today
 Serra enrolls nearly 900 young men from across the Bay Area, led by President Mike Fadelli '88 and Principal Charles McGrath.

 

A Growing Community, A New Home

Originally located at Columbia Drive and Alameda de las Pulgas — now the site of St. Bartholomew's Parish — Serra quickly outgrew its campus as enrollment surged in the 1940s and early 1950s. In 1952, the Archdiocese purchased a 12.5-acre property on West 20th Avenue. By 1955, under the leadership of Principal Reverend Thomas I. Kennedy, Serra welcomed 576 students and 21 faculty members to its newly constructed campus.

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Serra responded to rapid population growth in San Mateo County while strengthening its academic reputation. Under Monsignor James F. Maher, the school expanded its lay faculty and made important investments to support and retain a highly qualified teaching staff.

Adapting and Enduring

During the social and cultural shifts of the late 1960s and 1970s, Serra remained steadfast in its commitment to the Catholic community. Guided by Reverend Harold J. O'Donnell and Reverend Ludwig M. Andre, the school adapted to changing times by expanding its curriculum, enhancing facilities and evolving its spiritual life — including the establishment of a robust Campus Ministry program.

A New Leadership Model

A significant milestone came in 1978 with the appointment of Michael Peterson as Serra's first lay principal and Reverend Stephen H. Howell as its first president, establishing the president-principal model that continues today. This structure helped Serra flourish as a Catholic college-preparatory school focused on developing each student's gifts in an environment rooted in Gospel values, academic excellence and mutual respect.

In the decades that followed, strong advancement efforts supported major facility renovations, technological innovation and the creation of an endowment, ensuring long-term support for Serra's mission.

Leadership Continuity

Leadership continuity has remained a hallmark of Serra's success. Reverend Joseph P. Bradley '73 served as president from 2002 to 2004, followed by the tenure of Lars Lund as principal and later president. In 2008, Barry Thornton, Ed.D., became principal and later president in 2018. Today, Serra is led by President Mike Fadelli '88 and Principal Charles McGrath.

Serra Today

Now serving nearly 900 young men from across the Bay Area, Serra continues to evolve as a premier college-preparatory high school for boys while remaining grounded in its founding mission: to form young men of faith, wisdom, service, community and leadership — graduates who live with integrity and are committed to making a difference in the lives of others.

Saint Junipero Serra
1713-1784

The namesake of Serra High School, Junípero Serra was a man of deep faith and remarkable perseverance. Born on Nov. 24, 1713, on the island of Majorca, Spain, he began his vocation as a Franciscan priest and respected professor of philosophy and theology at the Lullian University in Palma.

In 1749, Serra left behind the promise of an academic career to serve as a missionary in the New World. Traveling to Mexico, he joined the Apostolic College of San Fernando and spent nearly two decades ministering in Baja California.

In 1767, after Spanish authorities expelled the Jesuits, Serra was appointed president of the Baja California missions. Two years later, at age 55 and despite a painful, chronic leg condition, he journeyed north with the expedition led by Gaspar de Portolá. In 1769, he founded Mission San Diego de Alcálá — the first of nine missions he would establish in California.

Over the next 15 years, Serra traveled extensively along the California coast, founding missions that became centers of faith, learning and community. He died on Aug. 28, 1784, at Mission San Carlos Borromeo in Carmel.

Serra's life and legacy have been recognized by the Church and the nation. His statue was placed in the U.S. Capitol's National Statuary Hall in 1931. He was beatified in 1988 by Pope John Paul II and canonized on Sept. 23, 2015, by Pope Francis in Washington, D.C. He is honored as the "Apostle of California."

Junípero Serra is an important historical figure whose life invites reflection. His legacy is complex and continues to be examined and discussed today. In that spirit, our community is encouraged to engage thoughtfully with history and to live out our own commitments to respect, integrity, inclusion and compassion.