Head of School

Job Description

Located near the beautiful Presidio of San Francisco, Stella Maris Academy is a Catholic classical school that serves students from preschool through eighth grade. It is the first classical Catholic school in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, established in 2021. The school is located at Star of the Sea Parish, the campus has a long history of Catholic education in the city, providing K-8 education for over 115 years. Stella Maris Academy aims to integrate classical education principles centered on truth, beauty, and goodness within a Catholic framework. This approach is designed to nurture students both academically and spiritually, promoting rigorous critical thinking alongside moral and spiritual formation.

The school offers a robust curriculum that emphasizes liberal arts education, with subjects such as literature, history, mathematics, and the arts interwoven with Catholic teachings. Stella Maris encourages students to develop a deep understanding of the world through a faith-based lens, aiming to form well-rounded individuals who are both intellectually and morally equipped for life. The classical education model has shown promising results, with students achieving high performance on standardized tests while engaging deeply with Catholic traditions.

Stella Maris Academy is known for fostering a strong sense of community among students, families, and staff, making it more than just an educational institution. It is a place where families and faculty work together to support the holistic development of children, grounded in the values of the Catholic faith. This model of education has been praised for its potential to reinvigorate Catholic education in the region, with hopes for future expansion of classical academies in the archdiocese. The success of Stella Maris Academy motivated a group of parents to establish a classical Catholic high school on the school campus, which began with a ninth grade in 2024 and plans to add a higher grade each year.

Stella Maris Academy is now embarking on a national search for its next Head of School, who will begin his or her service in July 2025. This individual will be tasked with leading the school through its next chapter of growth and success as a pre-eminent Catholic classical community of faith and learning. The ideal candidate will be a visionary leader with a deep commitment to Catholic education and the classical liberal arts teaching method.

While the position description and detailed search prospectus are being prepared, interested candidates can begin exploring this exciting leadership opportunity by immediately contacting Kyle Pietrantonio. All inquiries and applications will be treated with the highest degree of confidentiality and with the greatest respect.

For more information about Stella Maris Academy, please visit stellamarissf.org.

CONTACT
Kyle Pietrantonio, Partner
kpietrantonio@partnersinmission.com
Partners in Mission School Leadership Search Solutions, LLC
(202) 390-0230
www.partnersinmissionslss.com

About the Employer

Partners in Mission School Leadership Search Solutions is the retained search division of Partners in Mission, the nation's leading full-service consulting firm focused exclusively on developing excellence in Catholic school advancement and leadership. As partners among ourselves and with our clients' missions, we value, understand, and embrace the importance of Catholic education in our personal and professional lives - and remain committed to ensuring its strength and vitality for years to come. Engaged by religious and school communities, boards and dioceses, our team of dedicated search consultants have identified and secured mission-driven professionals to serve in a myriad of diverse Catholic school and diocesan leadership positions from Massachusetts to Hawaii.