St. Therese School

What St. Therese School does

Saint Therese Carmelite School is a private, parish-affiliated Roman Catholic school located in Alhambra, California, serving students from Transitional Kindergarten through 8th grade. Founded in 1926 by the Discalced Carmelite Friars of the Irish Province, it is the first school in the world to be named after Saint Therese of Lisieux. The school transitioned from a conventional Catholic curriculum to a classical liberal arts model in 2015 under Fr. Philip Sullivan, OCD, explicitly rejecting Common Core in favor of logic, Latin, Euclidean geometry, and formation in faith, academics, and virtue. All faculty are practicing Catholics, and Discalced Carmelite Friars teach Religion in the classrooms. A signature program is the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a Montessori-based religious formation offered in TK-2nd grade in the 'Little Flower Atrium' — the only such program in the Archdiocese.

The school's core technology footprint is limited to commodity K-12 SaaS: Gradelink for student grade management, FACTS Grant and Aid Assessment for tuition processing and financial aid, and PayPal for donation acceptance including the Our Lady of Guadalupe Scholarship Fund. Revenue is generated from three streams: recurring tuition and fees (not publicly disclosed), passive fundraising via Office Depot/Office Max (5% Give Back) and Ralphs (Community Contribution Program), and direct donations. The school is accredited through June 30, 2028 by both WCEA and WASC, and is a member of the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education. GTM is sales-led and parish-driven: families engage through school tours, open enrollment periods, parish referrals, and the weekly 'Little Way' newsletter. The institution is governed by Pastor Fr. Peter Vecellio, O.C.D., and Principal Mrs. Alma Cornejo, with no outside institutional investment.

Name

St. Therese School

Legal name

Saint Therese Carmelite School

Website

https://stthereseschoolalhambra.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1926

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Saint Therese Carmelite School is a private Roman Catholic classical education institution in Alhambra, California, serving Transitional Kindergarten through 8th grade students with a Carmelite-integrated liberal arts curriculum, Latin, Euclidean geometry, and the only Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program in the Archdiocese.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private K-8 Catholic Classical Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based (Religious) K–12 Schools (EDAJABAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Classical Education K–12 Schools (EDAJABAF)

Keywords

• Catholic classical education
• K-8 private school
• Carmelite spirituality curriculum
• Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
• Catholic liberal arts

Headquarters

HQ city

Alhambra

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Primary revenue from tuition payments processed through FACTS Grant and Aid Assessment system. Families pay tuition for their children's education from Transitional Kindergarten through 8th grade.
2. Passive Fundraising Programs: Revenue generated through passive fundraising including Office Depot/Office Max 5% Give Back to Schools program (ID# 70005429) and Ralphs Community Contribution Program (ID# 81651) where participating families designate the school as beneficiary.
3. Donations: Direct donations support educational programs. The school accepts donations through PayPal. Specific scholarship fund (Our Lady of Guadalupe Scholarship Fund) accepts donations to support students who cannot otherwise afford Catholic education.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Saint Therese Carmelite School provides Roman Catholic classical liberal arts education for students from Transitional Kindergarten through 8th grade, integrating Carmelite spirituality throughout the curriculum. Core delivery includes a classical academic program with Latin instruction starting in 3rd grade, advanced mathematics through Euclidean geometry, the Montessori-based Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program for TK–2nd grade, weekly Mass, monthly confessions, fine arts (including all-school Schola choir), and athletics via CYO sports. The educational service is delivered in person on the school's Alhambra, California campus.

Product overview

Saint Therese Carmelite School offers a unified Catholic classical education program serving Transitional Kindergarten through Eighth Grade. The core offering is a classical liberal arts curriculum that forms students academically, morally, spiritually, personally, and physically. This is supplemented by specialized programs including the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for TK-2nd grade, Fine Arts with all-school choir, Athletics with CYO sports, Latin education (K-8), and advanced mathematics through Euclidean geometry. The school also maintains the Our Lady of Guadalupe Scholarship Fund for financial assistance. All programs are delivered through the lens of Carmelite spirituality and Roman Catholic tradition.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Catholic Classical Education (TK-8th Grade) A Catholic classical education program serving Transitional Kindergarten through Eighth Grade, teaching children to think critically, write effectively, and develop logic and language skills through a classical liberal arts curriculum integrated with Carmelite spirituality and Roman Catholic doctrine. Delivered on campus at the Alhambra school for enrolled families.
• Catechesis of the Good Shepherd A Montessori-based approach to religious formation for children in Transitional Kindergarten through 2nd grade, conducted in the 'Little Flower Atrium' environment to help children develop a deep relationship with God through meditation with specialized materials. Unique program offering within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
• Athletics Program Physical education program including PE classes twice weekly for all TK-8 students plus seasonal CYO sports opportunities, specifically boys varsity basketball and girls varsity volleyball.
• Fine Arts Program Arts education integrated into the classical curriculum including art appreciation, traditional all-school Schola choir, music instruction (TK-8), and culturally enriching field trips.
• Our Lady of Guadalupe Scholarship Fund Scholarship fund established to help students who would otherwise not be able to receive a Catholic Carmelite education. Applicants must be practicing Catholics maintaining a C+ average with good discipline records, complete family service hours, and comply with school regulations. Donations to the fund are accepted via PayPal.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Office Depot/Office MaxminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPassive fundraising program where families designate Saint Therese School (ID# 70005429) to receive 5% of qualifying purchases in credits for free supplies.
• RalphsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRalphs Community Contribution Program allows families to link their grocery cards to the school (ID# 81651) to receive up to 4% of eligible purchases as cash donations.
• Discalced Carmelite FriarscoreOthersThe Discalced Carmelite Friars, particularly under Fr. Philip Sullivan, OCD, oversee the school and provide Carmelite spirituality. Carmelite friars teach Religion in classrooms. Fr. Philip Sullivan completed the transition to classical education in 2015.
• Western Catholic Educational Association (WCEA)coreOthersAccrediting body for Catholic schools. Saint Therese Carmelite School is accredited by WCEA through June 30, 2028.
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)coreOthersAccrediting body for educational institutions. School is accredited by WASC through June 30, 2028.
• Institute for Catholic Liberal EducationminorOthersProfessional organization supporting Catholic classical education. School is a member of this institute.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Holy Family School (South Pasadena): A Catholic K-8 school in adjacent South Pasadena. Comparable in size, mission, and parish-affiliated K-8 model, and competes with the subject school for Catholic families in the San Gabriel Valley.
• St. Gregory School (Whittier): A Catholic K-8 school in Whittier, California, within the same Archdiocese. Comparable in parish-affiliated Catholic K-8 model and tuition-based operations, serving an adjacent Los Angeles County family pool.
• St. John Vianney School (Hacienda Heights): A Catholic K-8 school in Hacienda Heights within the same Archdiocese. Direct peer in faith-based K-8 model, suburban Los Angeles service area, and parish-affiliated operations.
• St. Luke Catholic School (Temple City): A parish-based Catholic K-8 school in nearby Temple City, California. Direct peer in Catholic K-8 model, suburban Los Angeles Archdiocese footprint, and parish-affiliated governance.
• Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary School (Pasadena): A Catholic K-8 school in Pasadena serving the same Archdiocese family pool. Comparable in faith-based K-8 mission, parish affiliation, and tuition-based funding model.
• Highlands Latin School: A Catholic classical K-12 school in Louisville, Kentucky. Most comparable classical Catholic school with a similarly rigorous liberal arts curriculum and integrated faith formation; differences are geography and school size.
• Mother of Divine Grace Academy: A Catholic classical K-12 school in California offering a classical liberal arts curriculum. Direct peer in mission, classical methodology, and Catholic identity, though its model is largely homeschool co-op with online support rather than brick-and-mortar.
• Kolbe Academy: A classical Catholic K-12 school based in Napa, California. Closely comparable in pedagogical model (classical liberal arts with strong Catholic formation) and West Coast footprint, though Kolbe has a larger online/homeschool extension.
• St. Joseph Elementary School (Alhambra): A parish-based Catholic K-8 school located in the same city as the subject. Most direct geographic peer — comparable size, Catholic K-8 model, tuition-based, parish-affiliated, and serves the same local family pool.

Broad incumbents

• Great Hearts Academies: A large charter management organization operating classical education schools across multiple states. Competes for the same classical-education-seeking family segment, but as a public charter network rather than a private Catholic school — broader incumbent with overlapping pedagogy, distinct funding and identity model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/st.-therese-school

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 St. Therese School