Mission & History

We strive to be men and women with and for others, responding courageously to the opportunities and challenges of our time.

St. Ignatius College Preparatory is a Catholic, Jesuit school serving the San Francisco Bay Area.

Through a rigorous and integrated program of academic, spiritual, and co-curricular activities, SI challenges its students to lead lives of faith, integrity, and compassion. Students are enriched by a diverse and loving Christian community and are called to become life-long learners who develop their individual talents for the greater glory of God. With a commitment to intellectual excellence, leadership, service, and justice, we strive to be men and women with and for others, responding courageously to the opportunities and challenges of our time.

Our History

SI's history mirrors the history of San Francisco and the West. The school was founded in the wake of the Gold Rush, in 1855, by Anthony Maraschi, S.J., who opened what was then called St. Ignatius Academy in a one-room schoolhouse.

As San Francisco grew, SI outgrew its original location, then its next. The third location burned after the 1906 Earthquake. The fourth location, on Hayes and Shrader, was supposed to be temporary, but it lasted for more than two decades. The next stop was a building on Stanyan Street, where the school was located for 40 years.

In 1969, SI moved to its current Sunset District campus, but also continued to evolve under Jesuit and, increasingly, lay leaders. In 1989, the school began a new era when it began admitting girls, and in the early 1990s, SI added a second gymnasium, a pool, and new theater, and it renovated its science labs. In the 2010s, SI renovated multiple classrooms, adding technological tools and updated furniture to reflect changing best practices in teaching.

Today, SI continues a tradition of forward-looking education, with Catholic and Jesuit values at its core.

Read an in-depth accounting of SI's history researched and written by Paul Totah ’75.