History

Founded in 1893 by the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose, Saint Elizabeth Elementary School has been serving children of the Fruitvale neighborhood in Oakland for over 125 years. St. Elizabeth has provided quality education for children from transitional kindergarten through eighth grade for several generations.

In 1892, St. Elizabeth Parish was created and staffed by the Franciscan Fathers to serve the German-speaking Catholics of Oakland. One year later, on October 24, the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose opened St. Elizabeth Elementary School with an enrollment of 20 students. The population of the school increased slowly during the first decade, but by 1913, St. Elizabeth School was educating more than 400 students.

The Dominican presence continues to be strong at Saint Elizabeth Elementary School with two Dominican sisters on the staff. Currently, one Dominican sister serves as the Development Director, and the other is our Technology Coordinator. The school is an affiliate of the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose Congregation. Through our affiliation, we receive yearly professional development from the Sisters. St. Elizabeth School is part of the “Vision of Hope” network of Dominican schools, which provides generous funding for tuition assistance and many other needs of the school. In addition, we are blessed to have two Sisters from the Society of the Sacred Heart Congregation serving in our school community.

Saint Elizabeth Elementary School is a Catholic faith community committed to teaching the Gospel message in a safe, loving and academically rigorous environment, grounded in the Dominican and Franciscan educational traditions of truth and peace. Parents, as primary educators, teachers and staff strive to educate the individual with dignity by challenging all students to reach their full potential, stimulating intellectual curiosity and fostering service. Charism through the Dominican sisters is based on four pillars: we pray, we learn, we serve, and we preach the good news.