St. Xavier High School history

In 1844, the school's elementary division opened a boarding school campus in Walnut Hills but was forced to close its doors two years later and return downtown.

John Larkin, S.J., who in 1847 traveled to Lower Manhattan to found Xavier.

Originally, until 1851, admission was granted to students ages 8 to 16.

The Xaverian Brothers arrived in America for the first time on August 1, 1854, in New York.

When St X officially opened in September of 1864, there were seven subjects offered: catechism, bible history, geography, bookkeeping, algebra, geometry and French.

052 board of foreign missions rca 1884

In 1886, the Military Department was established under the direction of the National Guard, and the crushed cap became a part of Xavier.

059 board of foreign missions rca 1891

060 board of foreign missions rca 1892

1897 saw the class systems reorganized to complete the break between college and high school departments.

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On October 1, 1906, another branch campus opened in Walnut Hills.

075 board of foreign missions rca 1907

With the National Defense Act of 1916, the Congress of the United States created a Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (ROTC) program and authorized the establishment of Junior ROTC units at secondary schools that would offer a course of military training for a minimum of three academic years.

In June 1925, the St X yearbook, The Tiger, was first published.

In 1926, St X won its first state basketball title, defeating Danville 26-13.

On October 6, 1931, the four schools founded the Greater Cincinnati League, known today as the Greater Catholic League.

St Xavier High School formally split with St Xavier College in 1934, with Fr.

In 1935 Xavier’s military program became a JROTC unit.

St Xavier began its move from the original location in downtown Cincinnati in April 1955 when its president, Fr.

In September 1960, St Xavier High School moved into its newly built facilities, designed by local architect Albert Walters, in unincorporated Springfield Township.

The present campus, located on Poplar Level Road in central Louisville, opened in September 1961.

The short history is this: Xavier opened its doors in 1963 and was founded by The Most Rev.

In 1965, St Xavier produced its first three African-American graduates, Phil Cox, Michael Walker, and Peter D. Samples.

In 1968, Xavier was raised to the status of a Military Institute, offering four years of military science and training.

The JROTC program became optional for students in 1971.

In 1973, St X dedicated its Instructional Media Center (later named for Brother Conrad Callahan, C.F.X.), which provides new opportunities for formal and independent learning for all students.

In January 1985, St X opened the John L. Hoeck Specialized Studies Center.

In 1989, Saint Xavier High School commemorated its 125th Anniversary with several events, including a liturgy at the downtown Cathedral of the Assumption, celebrated by Archbishop Thomas C. Kelly, O.P.

The next addition to the campus, the Brother Edward Driscoll, C.F.X. Activities Center, was opened in September 1990, and was dedicated on December 2, 1990.

In the fall of 1996, Saint Xavier received the former Bell South facility (located just north of the main campus) through a gift/purchase arrangement.

Fully renovated in the spring of 1997, the facility now houses the Office of Advancement, the Flaget High School Archives and meeting space.

In 1998, a $12.6 million expansion project moved science classes from the basement into a new, three-story wing and added the Holy Companions Chapel and a dedicated intramural gym.

The newest addition to the academic building opened in the fall of 2002.

St X recently concluded the most aggressive plans of its illustrious history with the completion of the Project X, a $28 million comprehensive campaign announced in February, 2005.

In August, 2007, Brother Thomas More C.F.X. Stadium was dedicated before over 8,500 fans as the football Tigers beat the Ballard Bruins 19 - 14.

The Project X Campaign concluded on December 31, 2009 securing $29.1 million.

In August 2012, the school implemented an iPad initiative as studies have shown a strong correlation between the level of information retention and the level of the student’s engagement with the curriculum.

Jesuit Bulletin - Fall 2013

On December 15, 2017, St Xavier named its first lay president, Tim Reilly, who succeeded Fr.

At the time, the facilities were nicknamed the "Finneytown Hilton" for their price tag of over $4 million (equivalent to $27.3 million in 2020). The original high school building was later torn down and is now the site of a parking lot.