About Us

St. Isidore Catholic School was founded in 1955 by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, at the invitation of the Pastor, Fr. Bernard McElwee, to serve as the educational ministry of St. Isidore Parish. The Sisters remained at St. Isidore Catholic School until 1980 when the convent was closed and the school has been staffed by lay personnel ever since.

In 1955, shortly after being built, the new school sat almost completely under water due to a significant flood in Sutter County. Bishop Quinn Hall became disconnected from its foundation and floated to the most western part of the parish property. The hall, which served as the original mission church, had to be moved back to its location after the water cleared. The school was then completely restored and welcomed students again in the Spring of 1956 for grades 1-6. An additional grade was added in 1957 and 1958 to support grades 1-8 in instruction.

The original charism of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur is to ‘make known God's goodness, especially among the poorest and most abandoned people in the world. The order was founded by St. Julie Billiart of Cuvilly in 1804. They continue to teach, but also work with the homeless, AIDS patients, the elderly poor, and countless others in need of help. All ministries have one aim, to proclaim in our time that ‘God is good.’ We continue to focus on the goodness of God as one of our current charisms.

St. Isidore Catholic School currently serve students in grades transitional kindergarten through eight. Our Catholic identity, community, financial stability, and connection with our parish continue to be a strength. Our commitment to academic excellence, service, and developmental growth, in partnership with parents, is significant to our mission.

Accreditation

St. Isidore Catholic School enjoys accreditation granted by the Western Catholic Educational Association (WCEA) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). These Associations are non-governmental, nationally recognized organizations whose members include elementary schools through collegiate institutions offering post-graduate instruction. Accreditation of an institution by these associations indicates that it meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of institutional quality periodically applied through a peer review process. An accredited school or college/university is one which has available the necessary resources to achieve its stated purposes through appropriate educational programs, is substantially doing so, and gives clear evidence that it will continue to do so in the foreseeable future.