Our roots go back to 1902 when the newly organized Southern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists opened the “The Fernando College” in San Fernando with 37 students. It was located on about 40 acres between what is now Brand Blvd., the Pacoima wash, Glenoaks and Lucas Street at the then abandoned Maclay Seminary campus which had moved on to U.S.C. At a time when San Fernando Valley was orange groves and dirt roads the school boasted a complete boarding college and farm.
To the College section, a high school and elementary school were quickly added. All together, as a combined industrial and church-worker training school, it eventually sent over 75 missionaries to foreign fields. Ellen G. White visited the campus several times.
In 1923, a year after the new La Sierra College had opened, “The Fernando College” was closed. However, the local SDA church in San Fernando continued to operate a two-room elementary school in one of the buildings moved from the old campus to a site several blocks north to what is now Newton Street. In the 1930's grades 9 and 10 were added and a bus was operated throughout the valley. The Van Nuys congregation operated another small school during that time.
By the end of WWII, population growth had shifted to the central part of the San Fernando Valley. Accordingly, in 1946 a new 8-grade campus was built with the combined efforts of the churches at San Fernando, Van Nuys, and North Hollywood. It was located on the northwest corner of Hayvenhurst Avenue and Parthenia Street in what is now North Hills. By 1955 that campus was outgrown and the present Northridge site was purchased. Initially it operated grades 1 - 9. Grades 10, 11, and 12 were soon added. In 1961, SFVA graduated its first class of high school seniors. In June of 2002, we celebrated the centennial anniversary of Seventh-day Adventist education in the San Fernando Valley and continue, with God’s blessings, to operate a fully-accredited Kindergarten through 12th Grade program and a daycare for two to four year olds.
Today this region of California is saturated with alumni from SFVA who minister in the workplace, lead in their churches, and have a positive impact in their communities. Throughout the Untied States and the world are doctors, pastors, and professionals who were given a love for learning at San Fernando Valley Academy. Here they were loved by teachers, learned to love God and now they live to make Him known.