Founded in 2001 by the Daughters of Charity and the De La Salle Christian Brothers, De Marillac Academy provides an innovative, comprehensive, and accessible Catholic education in the Vincentian and Lasallian traditions for children from underserved families of the Tenderloin neighborhood and other at-risk communities in San Francisco.De Marillac is open to students of all faiths and cultural backgrounds.Unlike any other private school in San Francisco, De Marillac offers a tuition-free, high-quality education to children from low-income and underserved households in the Tenderloin neighborhood, where 41% of the estimated 3,500 school-age children live in poverty. De Marillac is the only middle school in the neighborhood and serves a student body of close to 100 students in grades 4-8.

Students typically enter De Marillac below grade level, but the school bridges educational deficits with an intensive educational curriculum designed to prepare graduates to compete successfully in demanding high school environments. Additionally, De Marillac partners with Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory and Catholic Youth Organization to provide a mandatory summer school and summer camp program. The California Pacific Medical Center and the University of San Francisco also support De Marillac’s counseling and health and wellness programs.