St. Xavier High School (Ohio) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St. Xavier High School Academia Sancti Xaverii Cincinnatensis
Address
600 West North Bend Road Cincinnati , Ohio 45224-1424 United States
Coordinates	39°12′30″N 84°30′14″W / 39.20833°N 84.50389°W / 39.20833; -84.50389 (St. Xavier High School)
Information
Type	Private, college preparatory
Mottoes	Vidit Mirabilia Magna He has seen great wonders Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam For the greater glory of God
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Patron saint(s)	St. Francis Xavier
Established	October 17, 1831; 193 years ago (1831-10-17)
Founder	Bishop Edward D. Fenwick, O.P.
School district	Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Authority	Society of Jesus (Midwest Province)
CEEB code	361–110
NCES School ID	01055649
President	Tim Reilly (2018–present)
Principal	Dan Lynch (July 2021–)
Chaplain	Fr. Terry Baum, S.J.
Faculty	120 full-time teachers
Grades	9–12
Gender	Male
Enrollment	1,366 (2022–23)
Campus size	110 acres (0.4 km2)
Campus type	Suburban
Color(s)	Royal blue and white
Slogan	Men for Others, Magis
Athletics conference	Greater Catholic League South
Mascot	Benny the Bomber, Blue Monster
Accreditation	AdvancED, Ohio Catholic School Accrediting Association
Newspaper	The Blueprint
Endowment	$107 million (2022)
Tuition	$17,350 (2024-2025)

St. Xavier High School (often called St. X) is a private high school for boys. It helps students get ready for college. The school is located near Cincinnati, Ohio, in a neighborhood called Finneytown.

St. Xavier is run by the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits. It is one of four all-male Catholic high schools in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati. St. Xavier is the second-largest private school in Ohio. It is also one of the 100 biggest schools in the state. In the 2022–23 school year, 1,366 students were enrolled.

St. Xavier is the oldest high school in the Cincinnati area. It is also one of the oldest in the entire country. The school started as part of the Athenaeum in 1831. This was in downtown Cincinnati. From 1869 to 1934, the high school was part of St. Xavier College. That college is now Xavier University. St. Xavier High School moved to its current location in 1960.

History

Early Days Downtown

St. Xavier High School in 1860. The church next door was changed after a fire in 1882.

St. Xavier High School has a long history. It began as part of the Athenaeum. This school opened on October 17, 1831, in downtown Cincinnati. It was the first Catholic school for higher learning in the Northwest Territory.

In 1840, the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) started running the Athenaeum's college. They renamed it St. Xavier College. It was named after St. Francis Xavier. The college offered six years of education. This included primary, secondary, and college-level studies. Students came from all over the city and even from other countries.

In the 1850s, the school faced challenges. Fewer students were enrolling, and there was a risk of going bankrupt. There were also anti-Catholic feelings in the area. Because of this, St. Xavier stopped taking students who lived at the school. It became a school mainly for local students.

In 1869, the school was allowed to continue forever by the state. Later that year, the school started separating its high school and college programs.

Growth and Changes

An old entrance sign now hangs inside the school. It first appeared downtown in 1919.

In 1910, St. Xavier College changed to an eight-year program. A branch campus for first and second-year high school students opened in Walnut Hills in 1906. This branch later moved and became Xavier Academy.

In the late 1920s, St. Xavier High School started playing sports against other local high schools. On October 6, 1931, these schools formed the Greater Cincinnati League. Today, it is known as the Greater Catholic League.

On August 4, 1930, St. Xavier College became Xavier University. This was to show it was a full university. St. Xavier High School officially separated from the university in 1934. However, the two schools still shared some resources.

Moving to Finneytown

2000

2005

The school campus, before and after its expansion onto the former Girls' Town site.

St. Xavier High School began moving from downtown Cincinnati in 1955. The school bought a large piece of land in Finneytown. In September 1960, St. Xavier High School opened its new buildings. These new facilities cost over $4 million. The old high school building downtown was later torn down.

Since moving, St. Xavier has added many new facilities. In 1969, they added Keating Natatorium, a large swimming pool. In 1986, a new multipurpose building called Xavier Hall was built. In 1998, a big expansion project added a new science wing. It also added the Holy Companions Chapel and a gym.

From 2003 to 2004, the school renovated its football stadium. It was renamed Ballaban Field at St. Xavier Stadium. They also opened a 500-seat theater, art studios, and music rooms. A new track field was also built. St. Xavier also bought land across the street. This became the "South Campus" with new baseball and soccer fields. A special "makerspace" for students opened in 2017.

In 2017, Tim Reilly became the first president of St. Xavier who was not a priest. He started in July 2018.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, St. Xavier returned to in-person learning quickly. This helped increase student enrollment. In 2021, the school's football program received a $1 million donation. The stadium was renamed RDI Stadium. Keating Natatorium also reopened in 2021 after a $5.5 million renovation.

In 2022, the Jesuits opened Xavier Jesuit Academy. This new school in Bond Hill helps younger students. It is the first time the Jesuits have offered elementary school education in Cincinnati since the 1850s.

Learning at St. X

Getting In

As of 2023, St. Xavier has 1,366 students. This is the most of any Catholic high school in the area. Tuition for the 2024–25 school year is $17,350. The school says tuition is less than the actual cost to educate a student. In the 2022–23 school year, over 58% of students received financial help.

The school has 120 full-time teachers. Six of them are Jesuit priests. Most teachers (86%) have a master's degree or higher.

Students apply to St. Xavier by taking a test. They also submit their elementary school grades and teacher recommendations. About 56% of freshman applicants are accepted. Many students come from the Greater Cincinnati area. Some also come from Indiana and Kentucky. As of 2021, 20% of students are students of color. About 80% of students are Roman Catholic.

St. Xavier also welcomes students from other countries. They come through exchange programs. For example, a partner school in Barcelona, Spain, sends students to St. Xavier.

What Students Learn

All students at St. Xavier are in a college preparatory program. They need 23½ credits to graduate. The program is approved by several organizations. Student grades are not ranked against each other. Grades are on a 100-point scale.

The school focuses on helping students become well-rounded. As of 2023, St. Xavier offers 27 elective classes. Many of these are Advanced Placement (AP) classes. These classes can earn students college credit.

Since it is a Catholic school, all students must study religion and theology each year.

St. Xavier students can also earn credit for work done at partner schools. These include Canisius-Kolleg Berlin and Xavier University. In some summers, students can take a Marine Science class in Hawaii.

Freshmen are placed into five "houses." This helps with scheduling and guidance.

Daily Mass is offered during lunch at the Holy Companions Chapel.

The school year starts in August and ends in May. It has two semesters for grades and classes. Exams are given every three months. A normal school day starts at 8:00 am and ends at 3:05 pm. The day has eight periods. Classes rotate, so not all classes meet every day. This helps reduce stress.

From 2011 to 2017, students could use their own laptops or phones. Starting with the class of 2018, students had to own an iPad. However, starting with the class of 2021, the school changed back. Now, students are required to bring their own laptops, but not Apple devices like iPads.

Awards and Achievements

Many St. Xavier students receive honors from standardized tests. From 1970 to 2012, 1,000 students were named semifinalists or finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program. In 2018, 17 students were finalists.

In 2018, 603 students took 1,076 Advanced Placement (AP) exams. Many earned Scholar Awards for their high scores. Seven students were named National AP Scholars. The class of 2018 had an average ACT score of 29.2. This was the highest in the school's history. Nine students in the class of 2019 earned a perfect score on the ACT. The class of 2021 had an average ACT score of 28.6. They also had an average SAT score of 1324.

The U.S. Department of Education recognized St. Xavier as a Blue Ribbon School for the 1983–84 and 1984–85 school years.

Graduation ceremonies are held in late May. On average, 99% of graduates go on to a four-year college or university. Most (82%) get into their first-choice school. The University of Cincinnati, Ohio State University, and Miami University are popular choices.

School Spirit and Traditions

St. Xavier is part of the Jesuit Schools Network. This means it shares many traditions with other Jesuit schools. For example, graduating students are expected to be "Men for Others." This means they should be open to growth, smart, religious, loving, and committed to justice.

The school holds Masses for important events. Students can also attend daily Mass in the Holy Companions Chapel.

Spiritual retreats are offered often at St. Xavier. These include programs for different grade levels. One popular retreat for seniors is called Kairos.

School Song

St. Xavier's school song, or alma mater, is based on the song of another Jesuit school. This is St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland. St. Xavier changed the last two lines to fit its own name and colors. The song is sung after school events and graduation.

Helping Others

In 1974, St. Xavier became one of the first schools in Cincinnati to include service-learning. This was in response to a call from the Jesuit leader to "form men for others." Community service at St. Xavier is voluntary. However, 75% to 80% of students choose to participate.

The school's biggest service program is an Advent canned food drive. This has been held every year since 1926. Students collect thousands of pounds of food. They deliver it to families and food pantries. In 2020, students collected over 75,000 pounds of food.

Campus Life

The front entrance to St. Xavier was updated in 1998.

St. Xavier's campus is 110 acres. It is located north and south of West North Bend Road. The school grounds include a wooded walking trail. There is also a mock courtroom and a school history exhibit. The library has 23,000 books. A "makerspace" in the Fine Arts wing lets students use special tools. These include 3D printers and other machines.

The campus has athletic facilities similar to many colleges. This includes a football stadium and an indoor swimming pool. The swimming pool can seat 626 people. The school also has one of the largest tennis court complexes in the area.

The school's most famous art piece is a sculpture called Open End. It was created in 1983 by an Australian artist.

Sports

The entrance to RDI Stadium.

RDI Stadium at Ballaban Field can seat 7,500 people.

St. Xavier has a large sports program. In 2008, Sports Illustrated ranked it 13th in the nation. The school offers 17 different sports. These include baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, hockey, lacrosse, rugby, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball, water polo, and wrestling. The teams are part of the Greater Catholic League (GCL). St. Xavier competes with other all-male schools like Elder, La Salle, and Moeller.

Team Names

St. Xavier's sports teams were first called the "Conquistadors." Later, they became known as the "Bombers." There are different stories about how the name changed. Some say it was because of American success in World War II. Others say it was from football players throwing "bombs" (long passes). The Cincinnati Enquirer first called the basketball team the "Bombers" in 1944.

The official school mascot is "Benny the Bomber," who is a bomber pilot. He was brought back in 2019. Another mascot is the "Blue Monster." This shaggy, Muppet-like mascot wears a Bomber football jersey. It appears at games.

State Championships

As of March 2021, the Bombers have won 61 boys team state titles. This is tied for the most by a single school in Ohio.

St. Xavier's state titles include:

• Cross country – 1998, 2000, 2003, 2012, 2013, 2019
• Baseball – 2003
• Basketball – 2000
• Football – 2005, 2007, 2016, 2020
• Golf – 1957, 1995, 2008, 2015, 2016
• Lacrosse – 2018, 2025
• Soccer – 1983
• Swimming – 1970–1981 (12 years in a row), 1984, 1990–1995 (6 years), 1997, 1999–2007 (9 years), 2009–2021 (13 years)
• Volleyball – 2024

St. Xavier students have also won state titles in singles or doubles tennis in 1946, 1947, 2002, and 2006.

Swimming and Diving

Keating Natatorium is home to the St. Xavier Aquabombers and Cincinnati Marlins.

St. Xavier has had a swimming team, called the "Aquabombers," since 1930. They started winning state titles in 1970. This was after Keating Natatorium opened. The team has won many district, sectional, and city titles since 1970. They have won 42 Ohio state championships.

The team has been named national high school swimming team champions by Swimming World magazine four times. These years were 1973, 1992, 2001, and 2017. From 1988 to 2015, coach Jim Brower led the team to 21 state titles. This is the most for any men's coach in Ohio high school history.

Football

In 1999, the Bombers football team appeared on Cheerios cereal boxes. This was to recognize their football and community service programs. On December 3, 2005, the Bombers won their first state football title. They had a perfect season, winning every game. The City of Cincinnati even declared December 14, 2005, "St. Xavier High School Day."

In 2007, the Bombers won their second state championship. They also won a national championship title. St. Xavier won its third football state championship on December 2, 2016. They became the first Ohio high school football team to win a state championship after losing five games in the regular season. On November 14, 2020, St. Xavier won its fourth football state championship. They set a record for the largest win margin in Ohio Division I state championship history.

As of 2016, the Bombers are one of 15 football teams in the U.S. that use GPS trackers. These trackers help prevent injuries.

Other Sports

St. Xavier won the state basketball championship in 2000. They were also runners-up in 2005 and 2007.

The Cross Country team has also been very successful. They won state championships in 1998, 2000, 2003, 2012, 2013, and 2019. They have qualified for the state championship race in 29 of the last 30 years.

Since it started in 2016, the TriBombers triathlon team has won three Ohio state championships. They also won the 2019 USA Triathlon High School National Championship.

Arts and Clubs

St. Xavier's arts program includes drama, visual arts, and music. There are many clubs and activities for students interested in the arts.

Drama and Theater

Theatre Xavier (TX) is the school's co-ed drama group. They put on plays and comedies each fall and spring. St. Xavier students perform with students from other high schools. About 65% to 70% of the participants are boys. TX performs in the Walter C. Deye, S.J., Performance Center. This theater has 510 seats.

Theatre Xavier has won many awards. From 2002 to 2012, they won 80 awards. This included five for Best Musical.

Music Groups

St. Xavier has many musical groups. These include the Marching Bombers, who perform at football games.

Other groups perform at school concerts and national competitions. The jazz ensemble is called Out of the Blue. The wind ensemble has over 100 members. The string ensemble has two groups: Chamber Blues and Men in Black.

Student News and Yearbooks

The X-ray of 1942

The Blueprint is the school's student-run newspaper. It is published every month. The paper has sections like Viewpoints, Arts & Entertainment, News, Sports, and Student Life.

The school also has a yearbook called X-Ray. Expressions is a student literary magazine. It was started in 1964. It publishes student stories and artwork.

Other Fun Clubs

The St. Xavier Quiz Team competes in many tournaments. They have won their first state championship in 1997.

Famous Alumni

St. Xavier calls its graduates the "Long Blue Line." This refers to the school colors and the blue robes worn at graduation. More than 18,000 living graduates are part of this group.

Many St. Xavier alumni are well-known. Some have become famous in Cincinnati and across the country. Student-athletes have gone on to win the Super Bowl and compete in the Olympics. Some have coached college and professional sports teams. Several graduates have served in government. Alumni have also appeared on Broadway and written best-selling books.

See also

In Spanish: Colegio San Javier (Cincinnati) para niños

• List of Jesuit sites