Sacred Heart Nativity Schools

Sacred Heart Nativity School and Our Lady of Grace Nativity School are the only non-profit private Catholic middle schools in the San Jose area focused on academic intervention for underserved students in 6th-8th grades. The goals for the program are to educate students to become academically, emotionally and spiritually prepared in order to be the first in their families to graduate from college. Students typically enter in 6th grade testing 1-2 grade levels behind in math and English. After completing our rigorous academic program, by the end of 8th grade, students test at or above grade level in math and English. This allows them to gain acceptance at the top Catholic college-prep high schools in the area. The elements of our program that make these goals possible include the following:

• Small class sizes with an average of 14 students per class
• Extended academic day with students on campus from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Students choose from co-curricular activities which include athletics, art, dance, music, speech & debate, robotics, photography, and academic enrichment.
• Each month, the students attend a 4-hour program on Saturdays where they visit local Catholic High Schools that provide the students with special activities and programs.
• Students experience an extended school year from September through the middle of June, plus a mandatory six-week summer program.
• The Graduate Support Program supports students for over 12 years starting in the 5th grade and continuing through high school, college and beyond. We embrace both students and parents by addressing barriers that prevent low-income, first-generation college-bound students from attaining success.

As a result of these programs, we see 100% of our students graduate from high school, 89% enroll in college, and 33% graduate from college in four years. Compare those statistics to the national average of 70% high school graduation, 11% college enrollment and 11% college graduation for 1st-generation, low-income students and you can see that Nativity is truly moving the needle for academic equality.

Endowment with the Catholic Community Foundation

In the fall of 2018, Sacred Heart Nativity Schools started an endowment fund to help secure the long-term financial sustainability of the schools. Last month, we received our first disbursement from the endowment which was used to directly support the academic program for our students. Nativity has the benefit of an anonymous donor who has pledged to match every dollar to our endowment up to $250,000.

Saint Lucy Parish School Scholarship Fund “Voices of Gratitude”

Lucy School students are developing athletes and musicians, scholars and writers, scientists and teachers. While their talents differ, we share a common dream for them – that their St. Lucy Catholic education will prepare them for life and the challenges that lie ahead. Our students work to develop their full potential as engaged learners, active Catholics, and responsible citizens. We invite you to become part of this success by donating to the school.

Endowment with the Catholic Community Foundation

The “Voices of Gratitude” Endowment was started by a parishioner who was given the opportunity to attend Catholic schools through the generosity of donors and support of the Catholic Church in her native Hong Kong. She began this fund in the hope of supporting children at St. Lucy Parish School who are unable to fully pay for the tuition. Her dream is that other children may receive the same blessings of the Catholic faith through an education centered on Jesus Christ that she received as a child. Grants from this endowment will provide tuition assistance for students at St. Lucy Parish School.

Saint Patrick School Endowment

Saint Patrick is a Catholic elementary and junior high school located in the heart of downtown San Jose.  The school was established in 1925 and is a San Jose City Landmark.  Thousands of students have received their formation here. St. Patrick has a rich history that tells a story of the changing dynamics in San Jose.   It has always been a place of welcome for immigrants, and as the city has seen demographic changes, so has the school.  The Italian and Irish students in the 1940’s became Vietnamese and Hispanic students in the 1980’s.

In 2004, Bishop P.J. McGrath asked the Daughters of Charity to include St. Patrick School in their mission to serve the least among us. The Daughters agreed, and St. Patrick School found new life and a new mission.  With the generous support of the Daughters and the Drexel Schools Initiative, St. Patrick has become a center of Vincentian spirituality and exceptional academics.

Endowment with the Catholic Community Foundation

We would like to further our mission to serve the least among us and provide a Catholic education to those for whom it would otherwise be out of reach.  We plan to dedicate these funds to tuition assistance and our free and reduced lunch program.  As costs continue to rise, it is critical to develop other sources of funding to support our students in need.

Saint Simon Parish Endowment for Tuition Assistance

For over 60 years, Saint Simon Parish School has committed to providing an excellent Catholic education for the next generation. As a ministry of the parish, the school strives to form a community of faith dedicated to living and teaching the message and mission that Jesus Christ entrusted to His Church. Our school ministers in collaboration with parents to fulfill the role of educator. Together, we are committed to educating the whole child in a student-centered atmosphere, which reflects the Gospel message and fosters each student’s spiritual, intellectual, emotional, moral, social, aesthetic, and physical growth.

Endowment with the Catholic Community Foundation

The Finance Council saw that the decision to send children to Catholic school was often determined by financial factors instead of parents’ desire to give their children a Catholic education. However, the Council knew that the school had to, at a minimum, run on a break-even basis.

One generous family offered to help with a long-term solution. The family matched all donations to the endowment up to $250,000. As of November 2019, the community has exceeded that goal and the endowment has a balance in excess of $500,000. Read more about the endowment match in our annual newsletter.

Due to the success of early fundraising, the endowment made its first grant in December 2018. “This year, thirty students need financial aid. The grant from the endowment, although small, is already helping families in our community keep their children in Catholic schools,” said Don McGovern, Finance Council member. “We can’t rely on annual fundraising and our shrinking existing scholarship funds forever.” An investment in the Tuition Assistance Endowment today will give children access to Catholic education for generations to come.

Diocese of San Jose – Guardian Angel Program (GAP)

The Guardian Angel Program (GAP) is a tuition assistance initiative designed to provide families in the Diocese of San Jose with the opportunity to receive a Catholic education. In this program, Guardian Angels commit to “bridge the gap” between what a family can afford and their tuition expenses. The program is committed to renewing financial support for as many years as a family remains eligible.