History
Daytona Beach Catholic secondary education began in 1924 with the establishment of St. Paul Parish School. To meet the growing need for a central Catholic high school in the area, the Diocese of St. Augustine built Father Lopez Catholic High School in 1959. The school has been under the direction of the Diocese of Orlando since 1968. The School was named for Father Francisco Lopez de Mendoza Grajales. Father Lopez was the chaplain to Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles's Spanish expedition to Florida. On September 8, 1565, Menendez came ashore at the site of the Timucuan Indian village of Seloy. At the site, he was met by Father Lopez with a large cross. Menendez named the site Nombre de Dios (Name of God) and set Father Lopez in charge of the mission which was named St. Augustine. Thus, Father Lopez became the first pastor of St. Augustine and celebrated the first Mass of Thanksgiving in Florida on September 8, 1565.
The High School's staff was originally composed of diocesan priests and the sisters of St. Dominic in Blauvelt, New York. Today, the staff includes dedicated lay persons and a diocesan priest (school pastor). The present student population of Father Lopez Catholic High School is approximately 300. Students are drawn from a broad countywide spectrum of social, ethnic, religious and economic backgrounds.
In June of 2008 Father Lopez moved into a state-of-the-art educational facility at 3918 LPGA Boulevard.
