1100 Woodside Road, Redwood City, CA 94061
Ph (650) 368-8327 | Fax (650) 414-9814 | [email protected]
St. Pius School was founded by Monsignor Michael Fitzsimon in 1953 to meet the educational and spiritual needs of the children of the newly established parish.
The first wing of the school was opened in September of 1953 as a primary grade school, with just first, second, and third grades. The school was originally operated by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, whose charism and dedication to education helped shape and grow St. Pius School to become a full, double class, Kindergarten through eighth-grade school with a strong comprehensive academic program. The charism of the Sisters of the Holy Cross is focused on the core values of Faith, Compassion, Prayer, and Community, tenets still prevalent at the school today, and which guided the development of our new mission statement, SLEs (C.A.R.E.), and school prayer.
Since the departure of the Sisters of the Holy Cross in 1985, lay personnel have carried on the tradition of excellence established since the school’s founding. The spirit of community and compassion at St. Pius Catholic School is exemplified by the highly motivated and supportive faculty and staff. The school currently has nine single class grade levels, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade, as well as a preschool that was established in 2013.
In 1986 a School Advisory Board was established to assist with policy development and to give focused attention to the future fiscal needs of St. Pius School. During that same year, the school's financial future was made more secure by a generous $500,000 gift from a long time parishioner, James Kilbane, to begin an endowment fund. A major endowment campaign was held in 1989-90 to relieve the schools dependency on uncertain types of fundraising and to enlarge the already established St. Pius School Endowment Fund.
In 1987, the school built an addition which housed the Extended Care program. Though the site has moved, this program still exists and continues to meet the needs of working parents as it is open daily from 7:30AM to 6:00PM. In the summer of 2006 air conditioning was installed in the entire school, a result of PTG fundraising, student Walk-A-Thon money and savings, and our preschool was established in 2013 for children from 3 to 5 years old. In 2014, we created two school libraries, and a new Science Lab was created in 2019. The school in partnership with the parish installed solar paneling in 2019, and the East Wing's electrical grid was replaced and updated in 2021. St. Pius has a phased plan for security upgrades including newly installed classroom doors in the primary wing (2020) and door replacements for the East Wing and campus-wide fencing (2022).
Over the years, the academic and enrichment programs of the school have grown significantly. 2021 is the first year that St. Pius School has an official librarian who teaches library skills (K-8), and manages the two school libraries. The student resource program is in place to assist students with learning exceptionalities. A full program of after school sports, study hall and other parish/school programs round out the St. Pius School educational experience.
St. Pius School is fully accredited through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and the Western Catholic Education Association. Students receive religious instruction and a rigorous/comprehensive core curriculum enhanced with electronic devices and the use of iPads and Chromebooks as tools to assist them in their daily lessons or assignments.