St Michael's Catholic High School history

By 1862, boarder revenue allowed the Brothers to invest in a savings account.

By 1870, however, the enthusiasm for the school in Santa Fe had fallen; all but one of the founding Brothers were gone, and many of their successors were in favor of closing the school.

In 1876, St Michael’s conferred diplomas on its first graduates.

Founded in the summer of 1889 and served by two Sisters of Divine Providence, St Michael School began as a public school with an enrollment of sixty students.

St Michael Academy opened in September 1913, under the direction of the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael.

In 1916, the culture of St Michael’s was shaken up when a group of French Brothers replaced the American Brothers at St Michael’s as well as at other Lasallian schools in the region.

In 1919, because of a steady enrollment increase resulting in up to 200 students, a two-story building with four classrooms downstairs and an auditorium/gym upstairs, was erected.

In 1926, a fire destroyed the third floor of the Lamy Building.

In June 1953, Bishop Peter L. Ireton established Saint Michael Parish and named Father Thomas P. Scannell as the first pastor.

As early as January 1954, Father Scannell was in contact with Mother Marie Alma, Mother General of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary petitioning for sisters to staff Saint Michael School.

Also in 1955, St Michael’s Girls High School was opened on site.

During the years following 1959, various bishops divided the parish into several new parishes.

The school year 1962-63 saw the opening of the senior school building.

St Michael’s School was founded by Reverend Michael Coughlan and staffed by the Sisters of St Clare in 1964.

The school became a comprehensive school in 1966, thus catering for the full range of student abilities.

In September 1988, a kindergarten was opened.

The completion of that project occurred in 1994 and was made possible through the generosity of St Michael parishioners.

Construction on new science laboratories, a student parking lot and the Tipton Sports Center began in 1997.

Since 2000 there has been considerable upgrading of existing buildings in addition to construction of completely new wings.

In 2002, through a grant from the Kenedy Foundation, St Michael School purchased a mobile building which houses two classrooms.

Grades four through eight moved into a newly built facility, referred to as South Campus, in the spring of 2003.

Through tireless efforts, relentless determination, and unwavering faith, in June 2004, the founding board established and incorporated Saint Michael the Archangel High School, Inc., a nonprofit Catholic high school as defined by Section 501©(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

In September 2005, Saint Michael's Catholic High School became a Humanities specialist college.

In September 2006, SMHS welcomed its first 12 students at the school’s temporary campus on the lower level of an office building.

Under her direction, St Michael’s School launched a three- and four-year-old Preschool program in the fall of 2008, and added numerous co-curricular and extra-curricular offerings to enhance student learning.

To commemorate the milestone, the school held a series of events, culminating in a gala fundraiser and alumni reunion, in the spring and fall of 2009.

In the spring of 2010, after only three and a half years and far ahead of the average curve, Saint Michael the Archangel High School received accreditation from SACS CASI—a leading accrediting body for schools worldwide.

In 2015, a Transitional Kindergarten, K-8 Spanish program and instrumental music (recorders) were established.

In June of 2016, the Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary closed the convent at Saint Michael School.

The fall of 2020 saw Saint Michael successfully complete a refinance its mortgage for the long term viability of the school.