In 1960, Bishop Charles F. Buddy founded the first co- educational Catholic High School in the Diocese of San Diego. It was built on twenty acres of land donated by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Egger. The original campus consisted of three classrooms and expanded over 46 years to become what was known as Marian Catholic High School.

In July of 2007, Marian Catholic High School  closed its doors and the home of the Crusaders moved to a new location in Chula Vista transforming into  Mater Dei Catholic High School,  The Crusader traditions remain alive and well in our state of the art  facility of 14 buildings on 50 acres including public spaces such as Chrysostom Hall (100 seats), The Marian Chapel (200 seats), The Kassebaum Theater (500 seats), The Bosco Center (2000 seats), and the Crusader Stadium (3000 seats).

Thanks to a generous donation from the Skaggs family and the ALSAM Foundation, Mater Dei Catholic High School has become a comprehensive educational institution providing a great Catholic education with an emphasis on the Arts as well as Science and Mathematics.