Good Shepherd School is a Catholic, coeducational, elementary school which serves an ethnically, socially, and economically diverse segment of the San Diego diocesan community.

Believing in the value, dignity, and uniqueness of each individual as a child of God, the parents, administration, faculty, and staff of Good Shepherd Catholic School recognize the right of each child to a quality education that will lead him/her to personal, intellectual, physical, social, moral, and spiritual maturity; an education directed not only toward the development of basic academic skills but also toward providing the child with adequate opportunity for achieving his/her fullest potential; an education focused on the development of intelligent Christian citizenship, international understanding, and intercultural harmony.

We believe that this type of education best takes place in the content of a Catholic/Christian faith community.

We acknowledge that the family is the first shaper of values and attitudes and that teachers in a Catholic school are co-partners with parents in the formation of future Christian men and women who, we hope, will proclaim Christ and witness to His love, concern and forgiveness in a secularized world.

We nurture the habit and capacity for life-long learning in our students by preparing them to take an active role in the lives of family, Church, and the economic and civic community of the twenty-first century.

We maintain that the Catholic school shares the educational ministry of the Church and that to be effective ministers, teachers must first be faithful disciples. To this end they must develop a deep relationship with Christ our Savior, understand more fully the gospel message, integrate it into their own lives and assist those under their guidance to achieve this integration in their lives as well.

In light of its philosophy, the faculty of Good Shepherd School endeavors to meet the needs of its students by establishing the following goals:

1. To enable the students to develop a strong belief in God, to help them grow in knowledge and love of Jesus Christ, and to acquire a deep relationship with Him so that their lives will witness to the gospel message.

2. To help them build a strong conviction of their own dignity and self-worth as children of God, to appreciate Christian values and to apply them to life in all circumstances.

3. To provide an academic program that will equip the students with the skills and knowledge necessary to cope successfully with the challenges of a rapidly changing political, economic, technological and social world; prepare them for higher education; cultivate in them a positive attitude towards learning as life long process.

4. To develop in the students a sense of global awareness, an appreciation for and acceptance of various cultures and racial differences, a commitment to the quest for peace and social justice and an understanding of Christian leadership that will inspire them to reach out to others in love and service.

5. To continue to recognize the role of parents as primary and principal educators of their children and to involve them in various areas of school life.

6. To teach the students physical skills and good health habits that contribute to the development of healthy bodies, mental alertness and self-confidence, and help them develop good social skills.

7. To build a school community that is Christ-centered and permeates with an atmosphere of love, joy, trust, openness, mutual respect, acceptance, and co-operation so that the students can grow and develop a sense of human dignity, freedom and hopefulness, and experience a sense of oneness, where parents and other members of the parish will feel a spirit of Christian hospitality in their dealings with the school.

8. To ensure that there is in every classroom a teacher who believes in the potential of the students and communicates genuine love, warmth and respect while challenging them to become their best selves.