St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and School is celebrating its 75th anniversary serving the community of Pacific Beach.

Also, the school’s principal of eight years, Meredith Binnie, was recently awarded the Pacific Southwest District-LCMS Administrator of the Year Award. It will be presented to her later in November at the annual Lutheran Educators Conference in San Diego.

Binnie assumed the helm at St. Paul’s School in 2015 when the previous principal opted to return to the classroom full-time. “They looked for a full-time principal, and I was a vice principal in Las Vegas at a different Lutheran school,” noted Binnie. “They called me out here, and I loved the kids, community, and teachers. And my kids love it here.”

What makes St. Paul’s special?

“St. Paul’s is a wonderful little gem,” answered Binnie, who added the church was built just after WWII started. “Then, a couple of years later in 1947, the school started with one room and it’s grown,” she said. “Now it’s preschool through eighth grade, with a little more than 200 kids.”

Binnie said the majority of students at St. Paul’s are in Pacific Beach, but she added pupils come from all over, including Point Loma, even from as far away as Santee and La Mesa in East County. She added religious affiliation is also not a prerequisite to being a student at St. Paul’s.

“A third of our families don’t identify with a church specifically,” she said. “They come here for the great education, and the safe, and small, community that we have here.”

St. Paul’s principal said class sizes are about 20 students, which is approximately five students smaller than the average class size. “We were open all through COVID,” she pointed out. “A lot of families came to us for that reason and stayed. So our enrollment has increased. We were thankful to be open and it’s a credit to our teachers. They worked hard, and they rearranged how they taught during that time.”

Binnie noted St. Paul’s is “the only elementary school in Pacific Beach that’s getting accredited through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.”

Students, when they leave St. Paul’s, typically go to the public school that they’re zoned for, which, Binnie noted, tends to be at Mission Bay, or in La Jolla, and Clairemont. A few students, she added, go on to attend private high schools in the area.

Binnie talked about another noteworthy distinction of St. Paul’s.

“We have second-generation kids here, children of people who went to school here,” she said. “It’s just a great community feeling here. Our families are very involved – and they really take pride in our school.”

SCHOOL

The congregation, now with more than 100 members, felt a strong need for a Christian education for their children. In September of 1947, a one-room school with a capacity for 30 students was built, and St. Paul’s Lutheran School was founded.

St. Paul’s School students have ever since been prepared for success as high school students and community leaders. Consistent through these years have been staff and teachers who are passionate about sharing their faith, and dedicated to partnering with families to provide an excellent Christian education.
Lutheran churches have established schools in the United States since 1640. Today, more than 2,300 early childhood centers and preschools are operated by congregations and Christian day schools within the Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod. More than 129,000 children, from infants/toddlers to 5 years of age, are involved in these programs.

Additionally, Lutheran congregations operate 945 elementary schools which serve 107,000 students nationwide. The NAEP report, often called the “Nation’s Report Card,” ranked the Lutheran School system as the No. 1 school system in the country. St. Paul’s Lutheran School offers its private school services as part of the Lutheran education system.

CHURCH

In February of 1943, when World War II was being waged, a small group of eight dedicated and committed people were moved to constitute St. Paul’s Lutheran Church of Pacific Beach on Feb. 14, 1943. The Rev. A.J. Brommer, who had originally been called as a missionary for the area, was chosen to be the first pastor.

This new congregation quickly realized that its location, an empty store at 1570 Garnet Ave., would be inadequate for growth. The small group of members set out in search of a property in the hope of building a new church. Five lots, which are included in the present church and school campus, were purchased in 1943 for a total of $1,180.

In 1944, St. Paul’s was accepted as a member of the Missouri Synod and the Southern California District. Plans were drawn up in mid-1944, and a loan of $4,000 was secured. The building was constructed on the property at the corner of Felspar and Gresham streets in June 1945. The total cost of construction was $6,000. A parsonage was added on the same site in September 1945.

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church & School

Where: 1376 Felspar St.

Información: stpaulspb.com, 858-272-6282.