What Junipero Serra High School does

Junípero Serra High School is a private Catholic college preparatory institution serving approximately 900 young men in grades 9-12 from across the San Francisco Bay Area. Founded in 1944 by Archbishop Mitty as the first Catholic high school west of the Mississippi staffed entirely by diocesan priests, the school is operated by the Archdiocese of San Francisco from a 12.5-acre campus at 451 West 20th Avenue in San Mateo, California. The school operates under a president-principal leadership model (currently President Mike Fadelli '88 and Principal Charles J. McGrath, M.Ed.) with a board of regents comprising alumni, alumni parents, and community leaders.

The school's core academic product is a Catholic college preparatory curriculum anchored by 42 honors and AP courses, a 90% AP pass rate, a 99% college attendance rate, and an 86% faculty advanced-degree rate. It maintains a Technology platform built on Google for Education and Schoology Student Portal, with parent engagement via PowerSchool. Distinctive academic programs include the Academic Resource Center for students with learning differences, the Design-Led Innovation program, and the Global Leadership program. The co-curricular portfolio encompasses 14 sports with 93 CCS Championships, 275+ performing arts participants, and 42+ clubs including robotics. The school is one of three institutions in the Tri-School Consortium alongside Mercy Burlingame and Notre Dame Belmont, providing access to co-ed programming.

Serra's revenue model is tuition-centric, with the 2026-2027 annual tuition set at $30,800 supplemented by registration fees ($1,150-$1,250), optional Academic Resource Center program fees ($2,500), and approximately $4 million in annual tuition assistance and scholarships channeled through the TADS financial aid platform and Bay Scholars partnership. The go-to-market motion combines regional direct-to-family admissions (Padre for a Day, Open House, Padre Previews, Walk Around Wednesdays with the President, and virtual Padre Admissions Chats) with an international student program leveraging SEVP certification and homestay housing. Advancement operations, including the Padre Fund, planned giving, and endowment gifts, provide a parallel philanthropic revenue stream supporting operations and capital projects.

Name

Junipero Serra High School

Legal name

Junípero Serra High School

Website

https://serrahs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1944

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Junípero Serra High School is a private Catholic college preparatory institution in San Mateo, California, serving nearly 900 boys in grades 9-12 from the Bay Area and internationally, operated by the Archdiocese of San Francisco with a single-campus tuition-driven revenue model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Leadership, Character Education & Values Development (EDAMAIAG)

Keywords

• Catholic secondary education
• College preparatory school
• All-boys education
• Faith-based learning
• Private high school

Headquarters

HQ city

San Mateo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tuition Revenue: Primary revenue stream from tuition payments. Tuition for 2026-2027 is $30,800 per year. Registration fees are $1,150 for Grades 9-11 and $1,250 for Grade 12. Academic Resource Center supplemental program fee is $2,500 annually.
2. Tuition Assistance Program: Serra awards approximately $4 million annually in tuition assistance and scholarships to support families with demonstrated financial need. Uses TADS platform for processing financial aid applications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Junípero Serra High School is a private Catholic college preparatory school for boys in grades 9-12, founded in 1944 in San Mateo, California. The school delivers rigorous academic instruction (42 honors and AP courses), faith formation, character development, and a broad extracurricular program including 14 varsity sports and performing arts, serving nearly 900 students from across the San Francisco Bay Area. It also offers a Summer Enrichment Program, an International Student Program (SEVP-certified), and an Academic Resource Center for students with learning differences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Catholic College Preparatory Education (Grades 9-12) Rigorous four-year Catholic college preparatory program for boys in grades 9-12, including 42 honors and AP courses, with a 90% AP pass rate, 99% college attendance, and 86% of faculty holding advanced degrees. Delivered on the 12.5-acre San Mateo campus to nearly 900 students.
• Design-Led Innovation Program Academic program integrating design thinking, innovation, and information technology into the broader curriculum, designed to develop problem-solving and creative skills alongside traditional coursework.
• Academic Resource Center (ARC) Supplemental Program Supplemental fee-based academic support program ($2,500 annually) for students with specific learning differences, including those holding IEPs, 504 Plans, or psych-educational evaluations. Provides specialized learning support and individualized accommodations.
• International Student Program SEVP-certified program for international students that delivers the full Catholic college preparatory curriculum with housing options including homestay arrangements and dedicated support services for cultural and English-language integration.
• Summer Enrichment Program Suite of summer programs including School Enrichment Program, High School Summer Advancement Program, Sports and Recreation Camp, Padres Rowing Camp, Serra Swim School, Peninsula Wrestling Clinics, Murphy Music Camps, and Serra Theatre Camp. Available to Serra students and the broader community.
• Padre Athletics Program Comprehensive interscholastic athletics program offering 14 varsity sports (including football), with 93 CCS Championships and 76 varsity team and 378 individual WCAL championships historically. Managed through the official Padre Athletics website and led by the Athletics Director.
• Performing and Visual Arts Program Award-winning performing and visual arts program including Drama, Music, Performing Arts Photo Galleries, and Visual Arts tracks, with 275+ student participants. Extended co-ed performing arts opportunities are available through the Tri-School Consortium with Mercy Burlingame and Notre Dame Belmont.
• Christian Service Program Required Christian service program integrated with Campus Ministry, supporting 31,000+ hours of community service annually through immersion trips, retreats, justice initiatives, and on-campus service opportunities.
• Tri-School Consortium Co-Ed Programming Co-educational programming consortium with sister schools Mercy Burlingame and Notre Dame Belmont, providing co-ed classes, clubs, performing arts, campus ministry activities, and social events throughout the school year.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mercy BurlingamecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister school partnership as part of the Tri-School Consortium, offering co-ed classes, clubs, performing arts, campus ministry activities and social events throughout the school year.
• Notre Dame BelmontcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister school partnership as part of the Tri-School Consortium, offering co-ed classes, clubs, performing arts, campus ministry activities and social events throughout the school year.
• Bay ScholarsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership providing $3,500 scholarship each year for four years to low-income scholars attending Serra. Bay Scholars enables low-income scholars to flourish at successful college preparatory Catholic high schools.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• De La Salle High School: Concord, CA Lasallian all-boys Catholic college preparatory school. Same single-sex Catholic college-prep model with comparable athletics profile (WCAL/CCS) and similar tuition positioning, competing for East Bay/Bay Area families.
• Marin Catholic High School: Kentfield, CA diocesan Catholic co-ed college preparatory school serving Marin and the North Bay. Comparable Catholic college-prep offering, athletics prominence, and Bay Area independent-school market positioning.
• Bellarmine College Preparatory: San Jose, CA-based Jesuit all-boys Catholic college preparatory school. The closest direct competitor to Serra: same single-sex Catholic college-prep model serving Peninsula/South Bay families with extensive athletics and admissions competition.
• Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton: Atherton, CA-based Catholic independent K-12 school. Competes for the same Peninsula Catholic families, with overlapping faith-based college-prep value proposition and similar fee structure.
• Archbishop Mitty High School: San Jose, CA diocesan Catholic co-ed college preparatory school. Operates under the same Archdiocese of San Francisco governance structure as Serra, with overlapping Catholic identity, AP-rich curriculum, and Silicon Valley recruitment footprint.
• Notre Dame High School Belmont: Belmont, CA Catholic all-girls college preparatory school and Tri-School Consortium sister school. Operates the same shared co-ed programming model with Serra and competes for the same Catholic-family pipeline.
• Mercy High School Burlingame: Burlingame, CA Catholic all-girls college preparatory school and explicit Tri-School Consortium sister school to Serra. Direct consortium partner providing co-ed programming and a primary competitor for Peninsula Catholic families.
• Saint Ignatius College Preparatory: San Francisco Jesuit all-boys Catholic college preparatory school. Comparable in single-sex Catholic identity, athletic reputation (WCAL), and Bay Area college-prep market positioning, and a direct competitor for San Mateo/SF families.

Broad incumbents

• Lick-Wilmerding High School: San Francisco secular/private independent college preparatory school. Competes for Bay Area college-prep families with a strong college outcomes and scholarship profile, but is non-sectarian and co-ed (rather than single-sex Catholic).
• The Bay School of San Francisco: San Francisco small co-ed private college-prep school. Competes for Bay Area families prioritizing rigorous college-prep academics in a private setting, with similar premium tuition and an innovation-focused curriculum.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/SerraSanMateo
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCi19O31CFtE6nMonFutqHEg
• Facebookfacebook.com/serrapadres
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/junipero-serra-high-school_2
• Instagraminstagram.com/serrapadres

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Junipero Serra High School