St. Joseph High School

Founding and Milestones of St. Joseph High School

Opened in 1960 and dedicated in 1961, St. Joseph’s was the 6^th Christian Brothers high school in the Archdiocese of Chicago. The school originally shared a 17-acre plot of land with the Immaculate Heart of Mary School for girls. Beginning as a three-year school, St. Joseph became a fully recognized four-year high school by the State of Illinois in 1964. It was accredited by the North Central Association in 1987. The school’s academic strengths were in its three major academic programs: Honors; College Prep; and the General Program. In 2004, the school became the first Catholic high school in Illinois to become an all-wireless, all-laptop learning campus. In 2006, the school became co-ed.

In addition to strong academics, St. Joseph has a successful athletic history, counting star athletes Andy Frederick, Isiah Thomas, Cameron Meredith, and Evan Turner among its alumni. In 1994, the school gained national attention in the documentary film Hoop Dreams. The subjects of the film, William Gates and Arthur Agee, both played basketball under legendary head coach Gene Pingatore, the winningest boys basketball coach in Illinois history. St. Joseph’s basketball team won the Illinois 3A basketball state championship in 2014-15.

The Chargers Community and Lasallian Mission 

The message of St. Joseph High School is one of hope, opportunity, and community. Its motto Vincit Qui Laborat—Victory Belongs to Those Who Work—was exemplified by students and faculty alike. Students from St. Joseph lived the Lasallian mission by manning soup kitchens, working in hospitals, and helping to raise money for worthy causes as part of their educational experience. 

The Christian Brothers envisioned a St. Joseph High School community in which students from diverse economic, social, and cultural backgrounds would learn to live, work, and interact with each other to better their communities and the world. That ideal is just as real now as it was in 1960. A distinctive mark of St. Joseph’s, a mark that lives on today, is its “extended family” atmosphere. Of the school, alumnus Joseph Genova said, "It was just a family environment when you walk in there your freshman year, you don't make any friends—you gain a whole new family.”