SAN MARCOS - Sierra Madre Academy Principal Paul Kerekes considers his school San Marcos' best kept secret.

The independent, private Catholic school, which serves kindergarten through 12th grade, may be housed in a small commercial building and strip mall near West Mission Road, but its outside facilities do not match the learning going on inside, Kerekes said.

"It's not about how our buildings look … it's about what kind of education students are receiving," he said.

And it appears the secret is getting out, Kerekes said.

Sierra Madre's 49-student high school was chosen for the second year in a row as one of the 50 best Catholic secondary schools in the nation. Out of nearly 1,300 Catholic high schools across the United States, roughly 300 applied for the fourth annual Catholic High School Honor Roll, a project of the Acton Institute, an international research and educational organization.

"It's a stamp of approval from someone other than ourselves that says we are doing what we say we are," Kerekes said, adding that more people attended the school's open houses this month. "When someone else says it, people have a tendency to listen."

The award honors schools that excel in three categories - academic excellence, Catholic identity and civic education, areas in which Sierra Madre has flourished, said Anthony Pienta, the research project coordinator who manages the honor roll.

In addition to being used as a informational resource for parents, the honor roll is meant to recognize Catholic schools that can be held up as examples for others to imitate, Pienta said. However, the list intentionally does not rank the 50 top schools, because the institute wants the "competition to remain constructive," he said.

Rigorous academics is one of the reasons Kerekes believes his school was honored. The school strives to prepare students for college, he said. Roughly 95 percent to 99 percent of Sierra Madre graduates are accepted to universities, and its classes are accepted by the University of California system, Kerekes said.

"They have high expectations for us," said sophomore Meghann Schafer. "Our classes are a grade above what they're doing in public schools."

In addition, small class sizes with a maximum of 25 students allow for more personalized attention for students, which plays a role in their success, Kerekes said.

"Teachers are better able to manage their classes and kids don't get lost in the system," he said.

Sierra Madre also emphasizes a strong Catholic identity in its class offerings, including introduction to Catholicism, church history, Scripture and morality and apologetics, in which students learn how to defend their faith in the outside world, he said.

"The Catholic faith gives them a rock solid foundation to fall back on," he said, adding that one of the school's goals is to make students spiritually strong.

In addition, Mass is held on campus each Friday, students pray four times a day as a class and priests lead confessions once a month on campus, Kerekes said.

"In this day and age in public schools, God is taken out of every single arena," said parent Liz Delgado. "At Sierra Madre, they try to place God in everything we do."

Students also participate in a voluntary Works of Mercy program, in which students are taught to be civic-minded by putting their knowledge into action, Kerekes said. Roughly 70 percent to 80 percent of high-schoolers make sandwiches for homeless shelters, visit retirement homes and volunteer with developmentally disabled children on a weekly basis.

"Being Catholic, we feel we have an obligation to help out those in need," he said.

The program helps students to mature and focus on the bigger picture outside of themselves, he said.

"We want our students to be a benefit to society, not a hindrance," Kerekes said.

- Contact staff writer Noelle Ibrahim at (760) 740-3517 or nibrahim@nctimes.com.