In ultra-progressive San Francisco, parents increasingly seek something a little more traditional for their kids.
That’s the message from the growing enrollments at Donum Dei Classical Academy and other religious schools in the liberal California city.
These private Christian schools weave tradition, faith, and conservative values into the curriculum.
Some were founded by Republican fans of president-elect Donald Trump and want Christianity to play a major role in American life.
For the parents who use them — this means no ‘woke’ books on library shelves and no talk of gender identity in classrooms.
The popularity of the schools, though a worry for some, suggests a backlash against Golden State progressivism.
California this year passed a first-in-the-nation law to make it harder for parents to find out when their kids ask to use a different name or pronouns in class.
Its public schools are dogged by complaints about teachers encouraging students to change gender without telling their moms or dads, in some cases directing them to sex-change clinics.
Enrollments have grown by some 25 students since Donum Dei opened its doors in 2019
Donum Dei co-founder Nate Fischer (second from left) is a right-wing venture capitalist who donated to the campaigns of J.D. Vance, vice president-elect, and other Republicans
Public school enrollments are falling.
Yonahandi Vaca, a social worker whose child attends Donum Dei, said she chose the 66-student K-8 school ‘because it aligned with our Christian belief.’
‘I feel like they have a fresh approach on education,’ Vaca told The San Francisco Standard.
‘I had never heard of classical, and that was really attractive to me: learning things the old way, with cursive and Latin.’
The $20,000-a-year school sits in the residential Bernal Heights neighborhood, where Pride flags decorate many windows.
It’s expanded by some 25 students since opening in 2019.
Anonymous contributions jumped from $45,692 that year to $773,319 in 2023.
It ‘exists to be a gift of God to the families and churches who call San Francisco home,’ says its website.
‘We seek to impart a rich classical Christian curriculum full of Scriptural truth and life-giving experiences … in the hands of our godly, experienced teachers and education partners,’ it adds.
Meanwhile, Nativity High School opened this fall with 20 students in Inner Richmond.
The 25-student Saint John of San Francisco Orthodox Academy in the Richmond opened in 1994, and Stella Maris, in Inner Richmond, has doubled its enrollment to 86 students since its 2021 reboot.
They’re all located in plush neighborhoods beloved of San Francisco’s tech executives and other millionaires, where homes change hands for between $1.3 million and $1.8 million.
Many were opened in the past five years.
Across the US, the number of religious schools grew by 4.8 percent over that time, says Arcadia Education, a consultancy.
Marilyn Bridon, an art teacher and assistant to the head at Stella Maris, a fast-growing classical Christian school, says classes are different to some nearby public schools.
Elon Musk famously pulled his Space X and X firms out of California after a state law this year helped children change sex in school without telling their parents
Students attend Mass on Fridays and are encouraged to get involved in their parish.
There’s also a ‘triage’ system to ensure ‘woke books’ don’t appear on library shelves, she said.
‘We certainly don’t talk about pronouns in our school,’ Bridon told The Standard.
‘Parents don’t want kids exposed to outside influences that are prevalent in our city.’
The schools are variously affiliated with Orthodox and Catholic teachings.
Donum Dei is not linked to any particular sect of Christianity, but requires students to have at least one parent involved with a Christian church.
The schools focus on classical subjects, such as grammar, logic, and rhetoric.
They avoid gender ideology, critical race theory, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Helen Sinelnikoff-Nowak, an administrator and teacher at Saint John of San Francisco Orthodox Academy, says parents want something more traditional for their kids.
‘A lot of people in our community have said it’s important to them that we’re not too far out there, too far to the left,’ said Sinelnikoff-Nowak.
‘I’m not preaching to parents, but I hear them, and that’s what they’re looking for.’
Controversially, some of the schools don’t teach evolution.
This has raised questions about science teaching in the schools — and whether creationism is presented as fact.
When asked about this, Donum Dei Principal Trisha Mammen reportedly said: ‘God made earth and man. We did not come from slime.’
The school did not answer DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
Administrators have also blocked a journalist from attending public information sessions about the academy.
Other religious schools in San Francisco avoid creationism.
Those guided by the Archdiocese of San Francisco ‘teach what science can prove,’ says Peter Marlow, a district spokesperson.
The growing popularity of classical Christian schools comes as San Francisco edges politically to the right.
The percentage of city voters who cast ballots for Trump grew from 12.8 percent in 2020 to 16.7 percent in 2024.
The Nativity High School opened this fall with 20 students in Inner Richmond
The 25-student Saint John of San Francisco Orthodox Academy in the Richmond opened in 1994
Meanwhile, in ballot measures, California voters opted to get tougher on drug and theft crimes and to allow forced labor in prisons.
San Francisco was once America’s least religious city. This year, it fell behind Seattle, according to a US Census Bureau survey.
Local education consultant Vicky Keston says about one-in-ten of her clients are interested in Christian schools and want teachers to ‘focus on academics over politics or social justice.’
‘In my experience, there are a solid number of parents looking for a school like this,’ she said.
‘Some parents prefer questions about gender identity to be taught at an older age and for young children not to be actively suggested that they reconsider what their gender is.’
Donum Dei was founded in 2019 by right-wing venture capitalist Nate Fischer and his wife, Meghan.
They and other co-founders are linked to Calvinism and Dominionism, which promotes a society governed by biblical rules.
Fischer’s venture capital firm New Founding pours money into tech startups that promote right-wing values, such as gun ownership rights, vaccine skepticism and the gender binary.
According to the Federal Election Commission, he donated some $14,000 to Republican candidates in recent election cycles, including J.D. Vance and Ted Cruz.
