Catholic High School is a private, Catholic college-preparatory day school run by the United States Province of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It was founded in 1894 as St. Vincent's Academy. It offers grades eight through twelve.[3]
Catholic High School was founded in 1894 as St. Vincent's Academy. The school was so named in recognition of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, who helped organize and establish the school.[4] The original site of the school was an old frame building in downtown Baton Rouge, and the enrollment was 106 students. By the 1920s, the enrollment had grown to approximately 300 students, and in 1928, the Brothers of the Sacred Heart built a new school, gym, and brother's residence at the corner of North Street and Fourth Street, and was renamed to Catholic High School.
In the 1930s and 1940s, the school's enrollment continued to increase, prompting the Brothers to acquire 10 acres (40,000 m2) of land in midtown Baton Rouge to build a campus to accommodate a larger student body, which was donated by R. Frank Cangelosi. After 10 years of delayed construction, Catholic High School, with its student body of 450 students, moved to its present location at 855 Hearthstone Drive in September 1957. The original buildings on the new campus included a residence for brothers and teachers, a small building used as a PE locker room and band room, and the main building. The main building at the time contained several offices, a library, six classrooms, and a few science lab classrooms.
In 1963, the gymnasium was built. In 1971, the R. Frank Cangelosi Mall was built between the main building and gym for student use as an auxiliary cafeteria.[5] In 1972, a new student wing, containing six classrooms, a cafeteria called the Union, and a library was added; the original library was converted into a faculty workroom.
The Brother Gordian Science Center, finished in 2005.
In the early 1980s, a football practice field and baseball field were added, along with an all-weather track (which was renovated and repaved in 2000). In 1985, the Fine Arts-Computer Center, containing a computer lab and classroom, a band room, a chorus room, art room, drafting room, and several classrooms was added. Around this time, the original band room was converted into a weight room. In 1990, a maintenance shed was added, and in 1991, in preparation for the school's 100th anniversary, the Centennial Courtyard was built. Also in the early 1990s, the school purchased three homes across the street from the campus to use as additional offices.
In the fall of 2002, the gymnasium was renovated to install air conditioning, and at that time CHS dedicated a new Health and Physical Education Center with a weight room, a wrestling room, locker rooms for athletes and PE students, and two new classrooms. In 2005, the Brother Gordian Udinsky Science Center, containing updated science labs for biology, chemistry, and physics, a new computer lab, and several classrooms, was dedicated and opened.[5]
On October 14, 2020, CHS celebrated the opening of the Brother Donnan Berry, S.C., Student Center. The 32,000 sf, two-story facility features a high-end commercial kitchen and dining for 600 downstairs as well as five classrooms, flexible study spaces, a conference room, and an expansive faculty wing on the second floor. Designed by local architects Tipton Associates, APAC, and Ritter Maher, the Student Center won an AIA Baton Rouge Rose Award for design excellence in August 2021.[6][7]
In January 2021, Catholic High opened its new athletic Strength and Conditioning Center. The goal of the new structure is to provide CHS student-athletes with a second workout location on campus to meet the current demand from the different sports teams.
The school was recognized as a Cognia School of Distinction in 2023.
Catholic High has won a total of 112 State Championships across multiple sports, along with 92 State Runner-up titles and 426 District, Metro, or Regional titles.[10]
Football championships
(5) State Championships: 2015, 2017, 2020 2021, 2023
Baseball championships
The Bears have won 6 state championships. In the 2024 season, the Bears, led by William Schmidt, were named national champions for the first time in school history.
Donnie Jones, Class of 1999, football player for the LSU Tigers (1999–2003); Seattle Seahawks (2004); Miami Dolphins (2005 & 2006); St. Louis Rams (2007–2011); Houston Texans (2012) and Philadelphia Eagles (2013-2017). Holder of numerous awards and team records, including being named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week in two successive Eagle games in 2013.
