HISTORY OF ST. JANE FRANCES DE CHANTAL SCHOOL
On September 15, 1951, four Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet arrived tasked to open St. Jane Frances de Chantal Catholic School. In April 1952, the school officially opened with two hundred twenty four students in grades 1-4. The Sisters staffed the school which included four classrooms, a basement hall, and convent. In 1953, new classrooms were built which included grades 5 and 6. The first eighth grade class graduated in 1955. Sixteen classrooms were completed in 1958. The school currently has a Preschool, Transitional Kindergarten, Kindergarten, and grades 1-8.
Fundraisers and volunteer labor helped develop the school. Registration at the school grew and more classrooms were added.
A Kindergarten was established in 1971. In 1986 two additional rooms were combined to accommodate a Pre-Kindergarten. In 2008, the former garage was converted to a Pre-School. Both the Pre-School and Pre-Kindergarten are licensed by the state of California separate from the elementary school.
After serving the school for many years, the Sisters of Saint Joseph withdrew in 1978. A lay principal was named and St. Jane Frances de Chantal Catholic School continues to be staffed by lay people. The school has had six lay principals since that time.
St. Jane Frances de Chantal Catholic School has participated in the Core Instructional Process (CIP) professional development series provided by the Department of Catholic Schools. The school has implemented the process across all areas of the curriculum.
St. Jane Frances de Chantal Catholic School is an Archdiocese of Los Angeles parish school. In July of 2015, the Rogationist Order took over pastoral care of the parish. The Rogationist order charism includes prayer for vocations of hall kinds, with special intentions for orphans and mothers. They work by the motto “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few” (MT 9:37-38).
St. Jane Frances de Chantal Catholic School is located in North Hollywood, a suburb of Los Angeles, in the San Fernando Valley. The school is diverse in its ethnic composition which reflects the diversity of the surrounding community.
The faculty and staff of St. Jane Frances de Chantal Catholic School work continuously to improve the academic environment for our students. We are committed to educating the whole child- body and mind, soul and spirit.
St. Jane Frances de Chantal School is committed to improving student learning. Through the commitment, encouragement, motivation and example of the administration, faculty and staff of St. Jane Frances de Chantal School continues to offer an effective, relevant, faith-based learning environment for its students.
