There’s no such thing as overnight success
St. Francis High School is a Roman Catholic college-preparatory school with a rich Franciscan tradition. Conducted by the Conventual Franciscan Friars, the school serves young men of diverse faiths and backgrounds from all areas of Western New York and beyond.
St. Francis High School was founded in December 1924, by the Very Reverend Justin Figas, OFM Conv. A group of Polish-American professionals and businessmen formed a committee, which came to be known as the “Fr. Justin Drivers,” to raise the funds necessary for the construction of the St. dedicatedwasHighFrancisSchoolformallyonNovember25,1926asacollegepreparatoryschoolforyoungmen.
Additions to the campus
1926
Hall,includingcompleted,wereJustinadormitory/gymnasiumcomplexnowusedasaclassroombuilding. 1988 2003 11 acres of new playing fields were added.
2007 The Mary E. Schneider Visual Arts Center was completed in Friars’ Hall.
2017 An athletic redevelopmentcomplexproject was completed that includes Polian Family Field, Jeff Sgroi Memorial Baseball Field, an 8-lane allweather track, and Gacioch Family Athletic Center.
The first class of the student body was officially enrolled. Friars Hall, which includes our beautiful chapel, is the original school building.
Alumni Hall, which houses CampusTheatreOrmsbyandaStorewasconstructed.
An addition to Justin Hall and a quadrangle were completed. The addition includes a second gymnasium, three classrooms, locker rooms and training room facilities.
As the school’s facilities expanded, so too has our student body. What was founded as a 125-student boarding school has evolved into our current state-of-the-art campus with an enrollment of over 450 young men. However, the basic Franciscan philosophy of holistic education, the keystone of the tradition of success that is St. Francis High School, has remained the same for over 95 years.
As a college-preparatory school, St. Francis’ first priority is academics. With a student-to-teacher ratio of 11 to 1 and an average class size of 23, our students are guaranteed personal attention from the entire faculty, more than 75% of whom possess one or more masters or doctoral degrees. The personal commitment and dedication of both the Friars and lay faculty provide the best possible kind of education – one that develops the whole person: mind, body and spirit.
Any student experiencing difficulty can always seek help from the teacher of that course. All teachers are available to the students for at least 40 minutes after dismissal to offer extra help, review study problems, make-up work missed or address other difficulties.
The success of St. Francis High School’s educational program is obvious at every graduation, where 98% or better of all students move on to postsecondary education. In addition, scholarships worth millions of dollars are awarded to graduates each year.
All St. Francis Students receive a Chromebook to be used in the classroom and at home.
St. Francis High School offers a wireless campus, with 24/7 Internet access. Every classroom comes equipped with a smart board and 32-inch television. We also have multiple iPad carts for teachers to use. However, our philosophy regarding technology in the classroom is to use it as a tool to enhance the educational experience, never to replace it.
At St. Francis, we encourage parents and teachers to work as a team to ensure success among our students. In fact, In September of each year, the school conducts a Mini-Class Evening to allow parents to meet their son’s teachers and learn about the content of his courses. In addition, the school, in cooperation with the Parents’ Guild, sponsors quarterly Parent-Teacher Conferences. Parents and students have access to our website portal. Parents can view their son’s classes and assignments as well a message his teachers. Parents can also stay up-to date on their son’s activities by selecting to receive important notifications about games, practices and other events through the school website.
St. Francis High School believes in a holistic approach to education. Educating the whole person: mind, body and spirit.
To that end there are a wide variety of sports, arts, clubs and activities that we encourage your son to take advantage of.
Cross Country (Varsity & Frosh)
FootballGolf (Varsity, JV & Frosh)
Soccer (Varsity, JV & Frosh) Volleyball (Varsity & JV)
Basketball (Varsity, JV & Frosh) Bowling (Varsity & JV)
Ice Hockey (Varsity Prep, Varsity Fed, JV Prep, Club Division 2, Club Division 3) & Field
Baseball (Varsity, JV & Frosh) Lacrosse (Varsity & JV)
TrackTennis& Field (Varsity & JV)
We understand that the cost of a St. Francis High School education may seem out of reach for a lot of families. We are here to help make it more affordable.
Consistent with Saint Francis of Assisi’s ability to see God in all people, St. Francis High School seeks to provide a quality, Catholic Franciscan education to young men of all socio-economic backgrounds. To help make this possible, we offer academic-based scholarships to incoming freshman — the majority of which are renewable for all four years.
In addition, the school also offers financial assistance through a work study program and tuition grants to families who demonstrate need. We do not offer any athletics-based or special interest scholarships. Over 75% of our families receive some form of tuition assistance to help afford the cost of a St. Francis High School Education. Scholarship and tuition assistance applications are available online for those who wish to apply.
Students living within 15 miles of St. Francis receive free bus service through their public school district. Students who reside in the Buffalo City School District receive an NFTA bus pass. The NFTA bus arrives at and departs from St. Francis High School.
For over 95 years, St. Francis has been educating young men of various faiths and backgrounds from throughout Western New York and around the world.
