About Us

St. Francis de Sales – St. Stephen School offers families an authentic Catholic education rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. We have an early childhood program that serves 3 and 4 year old children and serve students in Kindergarten to 6th grade.

Our dedicated faculty guide students to be disciples who know and live the Catholic faith; inspires a learning community to foster academic excellence; and empowers young people to fulfill the two great commandments of Jesus Christ by loving God and being service oriented, responsible, and self-disciplined neighbors to others.

St. Francis de Sales - St. Stephen School is dedicated to a philosophy of building a Catholic educational community among students, teachers and parents. We strongly encourage each student to nurture his or her talents and virtues in imitation of Jesus Christ.

Catholic education in the Geneva area has a long and storied history of over 100 years. St. Francis - St. Stephen School continues that strong tradition by offering parents a choice in education. The basis of our school's existence is the core belief that each person is created in the image of God and is, thus, worthy of love and respect. Our students stand out in a crowd as living that belief.

St. Francis - St. Stephen School has always endeavored to exceed New York State learning standards within the context of Catholic identity. We strive to dig deeper and to have our students learn higher level skills via inquiry based and experiential learning. However, we also place an emphasis on mastering the basic foundational skills that are often neglected in favor of newer trends that come and go in education. Classes are small, safe, and nurturing. Expectations are high and our students rise to meet them. A variety of extracurricular activities and team sports are offered. St. Francis - St. Stephen School offers a high quality Catholic education addressing the whole child.

History

St. Francis de Sales School founded in 1862, and St. Stephen School in the early 1900’s consolidated in 1982 to become one Catholic Elementary school in Geneva, New York. For the first 100 years, the Sisters of St. Joseph primarily staffed both schools. In the early 1950’s lay teachers were hired on staff with increasing numbers over the next 60 years. The Diocese of Rochester Department of Catholic Schools, under the auspices of the Most Reverend Bishop Salvatore Matano and Superintendent of Schools Frank Arvizzigno, currently oversees our programs.

Our Early Childhood Program consists of our 3-year-old preschool and 4-year-old/young 5-year-old pre-kindergarten. Our preschool and pre-kindergarten programs provide the perfect balance of play, discovery, and early academics. In a warm, faith-filled environment, children learn through hands-on exploration, imagination, and guided activities that build confidence and curiosity. Our dedicated teachers nurture each child’s social, emotional, and academic growth—laying a strong foundation for success in Kindergarten through Grade 6. Through stories, art, music, and movement, our youngest learners develop the skills and joy of learning that will last a lifetime. We offer five half day or five full day options.

Kindergarten - Our Kindergarten is a full day program. Students entering Kindergarten must be five years old by December 1st of the entering school year.

Our Kindergarten - grade 6 program offers students highly engaged learning in all content areas of Math, Science, ELA, Religion, and Social Studies. Our classes are small and taught be dedicated teachers who develop students to be life-long learners, problem solvers, and citizens. The Catholic faith and ideals are embedded in each day's learning. Teachers provide enrichment and service activities throughout the year connected to diocesan and state standards.