In 1888, Saint Hilary Church was founded as a mission church of the St. Raphael parish on land donated
by Dr. Benjamin Lyford and his wife, Hilarita. The land came down through Hilarita’s family from Don
Jose Antonia Sanchez, Commandant of the Presidio in San Francisco.
As the Saint Hilary community grew, so did the need for larger facilities. In 1954, parishioners built a new church on our
current site and in 1963 created Saint Hilary School, staffed by the Sisters of the Holy Faith from Ireland. That first year,
there were 93 students in four classes, Grades 1-4, with one teacher for each class: Sisters Giovanni, Gerard,
Columban and Martin. The first lay principal, Mary Albach, was hired in 1988 and by 1989, the school had grown to
offer Grades K-8, with 210 students.
In 2004, a multi-million dollar facilities upgrade was completed, providing a state-of the art gymnasium, a new Middle
School, a fully equipped science lab, an upgraded library and technology center, and a dedicated art studio.
Today, Saint Hilary School is a thriving school of 268 students from a variety of religious and ethnic backgrounds
attending Primary Kindergarten through Grade 8. Our students learn in a caring environment reflecting a strong sense
of community, spirituality, and academic excellence.
