History of Santa Rosa Academy
The school was founded by a group of teachers and administrators, Mrs. Badillo, Mrs. Heron, Mrs. Tina Shannon, Mrs. McMullen, and Mrs. Miller, who wanted to provide more educational opportunities for students in southwest Riverside County. At the heart of our inception is the dedication to developing the whole child. The founder’s philosophy is rooted in the belief that students not only deserve an excellent education, but a conscious development of good character, a sincere respect regardless of past performance, social status, or affiliation, and a dedication to the principles of a democratic society through an education in civic responsibility and a commitment to patriotic ideals.
The charter was developed over several months and thoughtful consideration was given to the name of the school. As a tribute to the Santa Rosa Plateau, in the hills of west Murrieta, the name was chosen out of many selections of local, historical significance. The serene beauty of the plateau is seen in the actual picture used as our website banner, above.
Our mascot, the Ranger, was also chosen out of several hundred names and two years of discussion as to the importance of what we represent as a school community: responsible, dedicated, tough, a protector, one who maintains order on the “frontier.” While the Santa Rosa Plateau has its own Rangers whose duty is to protect and preserve the local park and open spaces for future generations, we too, see the symbol as one of great importance for our “Rangers,” dedicated to the protection and preservation of ideals.
We opened our doors in September, 2005, to fifty-nine homeschooled students, and seven staff members, and operated out of a garage while our newly-leased offices were being built. How many of you would have signed up for a school that didn’t even have a home? Those first fifty-nine were so committed that they became the foundation upon which our school was laid. Over time, we had grown to have over 1500 students and 100 staff members. Our leased facilities included over 20,000 square feet of space at Mount San Jacinto Community College and an additional seven classrooms at our SRA West Campus. All the while though, we had been raising funds in hopes of someday building Santa Rosa Academy its own permanent home.
In 2013 our dream had been realized; we finished the construction of our current campus at 63,000 square feet which now houses over 1,500 of our Santa Rosa Rangers from Transitional Kindergarten to 12th grade. We were able to implement tackle football for the first time in 2014 with our very own football field and have had the privilege of hosting home games for our soccer teams. Our new campus, in its own Spanish mission style, is a shining example of what can be accomplished when a group of hard-working and dedicated people come together to enrich the futures of our sons and daughters.
The future is wide open. Our Strategic Plan includes developing partnerships with local businesses, historical societies, and community members who would like to invest in our children’s future. In October of 2016, our much anticipated gymnasium and baseball fields were completed. Santa Rosa continues to grow and we invite you to partner with us so that together we may realize this vision for the children of southwest Riverside County where honorable character and strong education spring forth a mindset for success.