Overview

Notre Dame Academy was founded in 2005 and is dual accredited by the Western Catholic Educational Association and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

We are preschool through 8th-grade Catholic elementary school in the Diocese of San Diego. We can have up to two homerooms per grade level. We try to keep our elementary enrollment at approximately 28 students, with an instructional aide assigned to homerooms with 21 or more students. Our Middle School cap is at 30 students per each classroom. We have two licensed preschool classes as well as two  more academic Kinder Prep  (transitional-kindergarten) classes for children who are turning five between September 1 and December 2. 

Every Friday we have an all school Mass at our Parish Church, St. Therese of Carmel. Once a month after Mass, we recognize students for being Christian Witnesses by demonstrating the virtue of the month. Additionally, we also recognize our students once a month during morning prayer with a “Got Grit” Award!  All of these students are chosen by the homeroom teachers.

We also go to Church for devotionals such as Stations of the Cross,  Reconciliation, Adoration, and Exposition. Our second grade is the primary grade for students to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation and First Eucharist. These Sacraments of Initiation are also offered to new students who express an interest through the Parish Faith Formation program.

NDA campus opens at 7:30 am with playground supervision until 7:55am when the school day officially begins with Morning Prayer.  

Monday-Thursday Preschool through 4th grade are dismissed at 2:45pm and grades 5th - 8th are dismissed at 3:00pm. On Fridays we have an early dismissal day, 12:15pm (PS-4th)  and 12:30pm (5th-8th). We do have before and after school care which takes place in one of our classrooms. Before school care is from 7:00-7:30 and after care is from 3:15-5:30 daily.

1st-4th grade follow the same recess (20 minutes)  and lunch (30 minutes) schedule and are the only ones on the playground at those times. Likewise 5th-8th grade share the same rotation. Kindergarten has a separate recess and lunch area and schedule. Their recess is 30 minutes and their lunch recess is 45 minutes.  

Preschool and Kinderprep have their own schedule in the Petites area.  

Students play on the blacktop for recess and lunch time. Hoola hoops, sports balls and jump ropes are all available to the students. They enjoy playing in our two GaGa Pits testing their skills on our rock climbing wall, teeter totters and monkey bars.  

We have a fully gated school property for safety as well as cameras around the outside of campus. During school hours, entrance onto campus is through the front office. All visitors check in before they enter campus.