The roots of St. Francis Central Coast Catholic High School date to 1869. The school’s rich history on East Lake Avenue began as an orphanage administered by the Franciscan Fathers. Over the next 125 years, it served as an elementary and high school for boarders; as a seminary for the development of Salesian priests and brothers; as a junior high school; and as a youth center. In the 1920’s, the Salesians of Don Bosco arrived to administer both St. Francis and Our Lady Help of Christians Parish. The Salesians continue in residence, animating the campus with the charism of St. John Bosco.
Santa Cruz County lacked a Catholic high school since the closing of Bishop Mora High School in the early 1970’s. In 1995, a movement for a new Catholic high school in the Diocese of Monterey embarked, spurred by the vision of Bishop Sylvester Ryan and the Salesians of Don Bosco. From 1998 to 2001, the greater community mobilized to create the funding for the construction of the new St. Francis.
In 2001, the school opened with 35 freshmen and sophomores at a temporary location at Holy Cross Parish in Santa Cruz. Construction commenced on the new campus on the present site, just outside of Watsonville city limits. School year 2002-03 saw the transition to the new campus with 64 students enrolled.
Campus facilities have continued to grow, as has the student population. The school now boasts the Borina Athletic Complex with its stylish, contemporary gym, weight room, locker rooms, meeting rooms, and administrative offices; Strawberry Fields, providing game and practice venues for football, soccer, and baseball; the Peter Salatich Science Building, housing modern labs for chemistry, biology, and physics; and the Marjorie and Isabel Secondo Art Building, a state-of-the-industry studio for the visual arts. Completed during 2008-09 is a complete softball facility with two diamonds for interscholastic play, as well as an additional soccer game site.
In 2009-10, student population stands at 230, with a teaching staff and administration of twenty-one. Student interest has spurred the development of a full slate of programs in interscholastic athletics, performing arts, campus ministry, and student activities. Curriculum offerings have expanded to match fully the course requirements for entrance to the University of California, the California State University system, and most every college and university nationwide.
Alumni of the “new” St. Francis now number 161, with St. Francis graduates continuing their education throughout the country at institutions such as UC Berkeley, UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis, UC San Diego, UC Santa Cruz, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, The University of Notre Dame in South Bend, St. Mary’s University of Indiana, Providence, Boston College, Loyola University of Chicago, The University of Santa Clara, The University of San Francisco, Loyola Marymount, St. Mary’s College, Villanova University, Catholic University of Washington, D.C., and Gonzaga University.