News & Noteworthy

Last week, Pope Leo XIV sounded a clear and urgent warning about artificial intelligence, asking leaders in Rome a question that now hangs over our entire civilization: What does it mean to be human in this moment of history? He reminded the world that our dignity does not lie in processing data faster than a machine, but in our ability to reflect, to choose freely, to love without conditions, and to enter into real, living relationships. At St. Joseph Academy, we are intentionally choosing a path that protects and nourishes that dignity: Phones are banned so that faces, not screens, remain at the center of our school day. Children play outdoors, sing real hymns, and serve real people—not virtual avatars. Socratic seminars, memorization, and collaborative projects require students to think, argue, and create for themselves. Small classes and personal mentorship ensure that no child is ever reduced to a “data point.” Daily prayer, weekly Mass, retreats, and time in silence before the Blessed Sacrament open hearts to wonder and to God. In an AI age that can produce brilliant but hollow men and women, we are working with you to raise young people who know how to think without a search engine, to love without a filter, and to wonder without a simulation. Even if every server on earth went dark tomorrow, our graduates would still know who they are and how to live with courage, joy, and generosity.

While national assessments reveal ongoing declines in student performance, Saint Joseph Academy continues to shine with exceptional PSAT results in fall 2025, far surpassing averages and demonstrating our commitment to academic excellence. National Context: Declines in NAEP Scores The recently released 2024 NAEP results for 12th graders show significant drops in math and reading since 2019, hitting 20-year lows. Nearly half (45%) scored below basic in math, with only 22% proficient or above, while 32% were below basic in reading and only 35% proficient. These trends, exacerbated by pandemic disruptions, highlight broader challenges in foundational skills and college readiness. SJA's Outstanding PSAT Performance In contrast, SJA students are excelling across grades. On the PSAT 8/9, our average total score was 957—138 points above the national 819—with Reading and Writing at 507 (vs. 412) and Math at 450 (vs. 407). Tenth graders averaged 1057, over 150 points higher than the national 902, and 11th graders scored 1059, exceeding the national 930 by 129 points. These place SJA in the 75th percentile nationally, outperforming three-quarters of peers.

ESCONDIDO — For an encore, the St. Joseph Academy football team delivered an award-winning performance. St. Joseph won its first-ever CIF championship in football last year, and the San Marcos-based school followed up by claiming its second straight San Diego Section title on Saturday. The Crusaders achieved the feat by rolling to a 68-13 triumph over Borrego....

Congratulations to our Girls Volleyball Team, who won their game last night and are now CIF Champions!!! This is the first volleyball title in school history! What an incredible accomplishment! Here is an article from the San Diego Union Tribune! https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/11/06/st-joseph-academy-captures-first-ever-cif-title-in-girls-volleyball/ A huge shoutout to Coach Ryan Hanson for leading the team to this historic victory and an unforgettable season!

As we enter Quarter 2 and find new rhythms in the school year, it’s a fitting moment to reflect on the higher purpose of the education we offer at Saint Joseph Academy. Our approach—classical and Catholic—is part of a rich tradition dedicated to forming the whole person, not just filling job roles or imparting technical skills. This month, Dr. Jonathan Sanford, President of the University of Dallas, published an article for First Things that beautifully articulates these goals and ends. His insights remind us what makes our schools unique and why this vocation matters today. As Dr. Sanford says, the reigning assumption in higher education is often that the purpose of college is to produce workers, not persons; technicians, not thinkers. This utilitarian mindset has crowded out the great tradition of liberal learning—education that frees the soul by opening it to truth, wisdom, and virtue. A truly liberating education does what its name implies: it liberates. Catholic, classical education seeks the harmony of faith and reason and refuses to reduce itself to market utility. The genuine task is the formation of free and virtuous persons who can fully engage with the world as citizens and children of God. Confident Catholicism welcomes honest dialogue, never wavering in fidelity to the magisterium, and always inviting students to seek truth in community. Education here is more than gathering information—it’s about entering a meaningful narrative, becoming pilgrims rather than tourists, experiencing transformation instead of mere accumulation of skills. Beauty, festivity, and wonder are not luxuries in classical education. They express our deepest longing for the eternal. The “inefficiencies” of small classes, reading the Great Books, sharing in beautiful traditions, and study abroad experiences are not obstacles but catalysts for true human flourishing. At Saint Joseph Academy, we educate so our students may be free to think, love, and worship—so they may seek wisdom, live virtuously, and ultimately glimpse the divine. As the Church Fathers taught, our destiny is nothing less than theosis—becoming “fully alive” to the glory of God. This is why classical Catholic education matters today. Anything less is unworthy of what it truly means to be educated. To read Dr. Sanford’s full article, visit First Things .

On “Pro-Life Day” in early October each year, St. Joseph Academy (SJA) in San Marcos, California, a San Diego-area classical school, becomes especially abuzz with activity. After some of the school’s roughly 375 kindergarten-through-12th-grade students — many wearing red “lifeguard” T-shirts and calling themselves “Crusaders for Life” — help assemble and hang over the school a 110-foot helium balloon “rosary,” they place pro-life sayings all over lockers and floors.