Carondelet High School

Mission statement

Carondelet High School inspires excellence by preparing young women to live with heart, faith, and courage in the Catholic tradition and spirit of the Sisters of St. Joseph.

Our history

Carondelet is a Catholic, college-prep high school located in Concord, California, offering young women a transformative educational experience. Since its founding in 1965, Carondelet has combined academic excellence and a recognition of the unique gifts of each of its students. The school’s focus is a woman-centered, comprehensive educational program designed to help young women build confidence and prepare for leadership and service in the 21st century.

The school was founded in 1965 by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet at the request of Bishop Floyd Begin, first bishop of Oakland. In the tradition of their congregation, the Sisters responded to the needs of the Church by establishing the only Catholic secondary school for young women in Contra Costa County.

Because of the small size of the student body—a tradition of Christian community, innovation, and pursuit of excellence was established. By June 1969, Carondelet had not only graduated its first class of 100 students, but had also established a Student Body Constitution, earned National Honor Society and California Scholarship Federation charters, and received accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, as well as the Western Catholic Educational Association.

What began with a single graduating class of 100 students has flourished into an inclusive and diverse sisterhood of 800+ students from more than 65 zip codes. Carondelet’s campus has expanded in step with its mission in supporting the holistic development of young women. In the past decade, the school has added the Carondelet Athletics Complex, the Jean Hofmann Center for Innovation, the Cannon Wellness Center, and the soon-to-be Boscacci Performance Center.

Leadership