SLUH was founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, then bishop of St. Louis, as a Latin school for boys known as St. Louis Academy.[bettersourceneeded] The school later became associated with Saint Louis University, which received university status in 1832.[citation needed] The high school remained on the university's campus until 1924, when it moved to a separate campus and was incorporated as St. Louis University High School. The school's campus, on Oakland Avenue, was donated by Anna Backer in memory of her husband and alumnus George Backer. That facility, also known as Backer Memorial, has since expanded.
The school integrated in 1946, a year before Cardinal Joseph Ritter issued a pastoral letter desegregating Catholic schools in the St. Louis Archdiocese.[citation needed]
Governance
Since the school is part of the Jesuit network that consists of 61 high schools and 28 colleges and universities in the United States, SLUH provides an education infused with the tradition and philosophy of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Theology and philosophy classes are conducted daily.
Curriculum
SLUH follows a college-preparatory curriculum and courses. The school offers humanities courses in the language department and has offered four-year programs in Russian and Chinese since 1964. In 1997, a student exchange program with the Nanjing Foreign Language School was established. Since 2011, SLUH has sponsored a Confucius Classroom which is a subdivision of Webster University's Confucius Institute. In 1999, educational exchange programs for the study of Russian language and culture were established with schools in St. Petersburg. In keeping with its strong JesuitCatholic heritage, courses in Latin and Greek are offered, as are the popular choices of French, Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese. SLUH also has strong programs in the natural sciences, mathematics, computer science, social sciences, fine arts, and literature.
Advanced Placement (AP) courses have been offered through SLUH for half a century. AP courses are now offered for 22 disciplines. In 2010, 345 students took 790 AP exams. Eighty-seven percent scored a 3, 4, or 5, grades that qualify them for college credit.
School structure
According to figures released on SLUH's website in 2011, the median ACT score for SLUH students is over 30. By composite score, it ranks among the top 7% of schools in the United States. Over 50% of SLUH's class of 2011 achieved a score of 30 or higher on the ACT. Among St. Louis and St. Louis area high schools with a total enrollment of over 600, it had the highest scores in 2012. Since 2005 a total of 31 students have received a 36, the highest score possible. Four members of the class of 2012 achieved this score, along with five members of the class of 2013, and two members of the class of 2014. More recently, seven students from the class of 2024 achieved this score.
Campus
The SLUH campus has undergone several major expansions since the 1980s, when then-principal Thomas Cummings began the "E-3" campaign.[citation needed] The school added the Robinson Library and developed property along Oakland Avenue during the 1980s. A performing arts wing with a 610-seat theater was added during the 1990s.[citation needed]
A major capital campaign known as Vision 2000 began in the late 1990s. The $32 million project included improvements to academic facilities, technology, class sizes, and student services.
The school's athletic facilities were expanded during the 2000s. A football stadium received artificial turf in 2004 adjacent St. Louis Science Center. Followed by the construction of a soccer and track complex and a baseball field. The Danis Field House was completed in 2009, a free-standing field house that contains two gymnasium spaces, a wrestling room, offices and meeting space for the athletic staff, and locker facilities.
Since 2008, the school's track has hosted the Festival of Miles, an annual track event.
The school later completed the Go Forth campaign, which funded additional campus projects, including the Dill Center, which houses the administration and school counselors in the old cafeteria, and the three-million-dollar Chapel of the Beloved Disciple Renovation completed in 2024. The renovation of the Chapel of the Beloved Disciple and the Heithaus Media Center with new facilities for student publications, photography, podcasting studios, and video production.[citation needed]
In 2024, an alumni donated $10 million to establish a center for integrated STEM education. In 2025, financier another donated $16 million to establish the Sciuto Institute for Teaching Excellence.
At the national level, the racquetball program has won 16 championships, and the rifle team has won six. The school also fields teams in inline hockey, rugby union, and ultimate frisbee
Awards and recognition
In each year from 2013 to 2016, SLUH was named among the top-scoring organizations in the mid-size employer category of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's survey of Top Workplaces.\
In 2010, 23 students from SLUH were named National Merit Scholarship Program Semifinalists, more than any other school in Missouri. In 2011, 17 students were named Semifinalists, while 28 were named National Merit Commended Scholars. In 2012, 25 students were named Semifinalists, while 29 were named Commended Scholars.
SLUH has also performed well in the Presidential Scholars Program. In 2007, for example, three of Missouri's ten semifinalists were from SLUH. In 2012, one of Missouri's ten semifinalists was from SLUH.
In The Washington Post's 2015 ranking of America's Most Challenging High Schools, SLUH was ranked among the top three in Missouri and the top 1.5% nationwide. In the Post's 2016 ranking, SLUH was ranked among the top 1.2% nationwide. The United States Department of Education's National Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognized SLUH as an Exemplary High Performing National Blue Ribbon School for 2015. In 2016, Niche ranked SLUH as the 19th-best All-Boys high school in the US.
Notable alumni
SLUH alumni include figures in government, entertainment, journalism, academia, religion, humanitarian work, and professional sports.
Charles "Dismas" Clark, teacher and prison-reform advocate who founded Dismas House. The Hoodlum Priest, a film about Clark, was made in 1961. Don Murray played the role of "Dismas" Clark.
John Knoepfle, poet, translator, and university professor who taught English at SLUH
Hank Raymonds '42, coached basketball at SLUH from 1950–55
Former headteachers
In 1984, Paul Owens became the school's first lay principal.[citation needed] In 2002, Mary Schenkenberg became its first female principal. In 2005, David J. Laughlin was hired as the school's first lay president.[citation needed]
↑Sébire, Guillaume (February 23, 2010). "In search of lost time: From "demonic possession" to anti-n-methyl-D-aspartite receptor encephalitis". Annals of Neurology. 67 (1): 141–142. doi:10.1002/ana.21928. PMID20186949. S2CID2366741.
↑Woods, Charles M. Sr., et al. "Years of Grace: The History of Roman Catholic Evangelization in Belize: 1524-2014." (Belize: Roman Catholic Diocese of Belize City-Belmopan, 2015), chapter 17.
↑Borreca, Richard (August 30, 2006). "News | /2006/08/30/". starbulletin.com. Archived from the original on September 2, 2006. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
Blue Ribbon
