SLUH was founded in 1818 by the bishop of St. Louis,Louis Dubourg,[3] as aLatin school for boys known as St. Louis Academy. Classes were held in a one-story house owned by Madame Alvarez on the northwest corner of Third and Market Street. It quickly grew to include acollege division, and the college was granteduniversity status in 1832. The high school retained the identity of St. Louis Academy on the university campus until 1924 when it moved to its own facilities and incorporated separately under the name of St. Louis University High School. The school's new home, on Oakland Avenue, was a gift of Anna Backer in memory of her late husband and alumnus George Backer. That facility, also known as Backer Memorial, has grown considerably over the years and remains the school's home.[4][5]
The high school integrated when it enrolled John Carter, a sophomore transfer fromSaint Thomas Academy inSt. Paul, Minnesota, in 1946, one year before CardinalJoseph Ritter issued a pastoral letter desegregating all Catholic schools in the St. Louis Archdiocese. While Carter did not graduate from the school, the first Black graduate of SLUH was Al Thomas, also a sophomore transfer and a member of the class of 1950. The first four-year Black graduate was Eldridge Morgan, a member of the class of 1951.
In 1984, Paul Owens became the school's firstlay principal. In 2002, Dr. Mary Schenkenberg became its first female principal. In 2005, David J. Laughlin was hired as the school's first lay president.
In each year from 2013 to 2016, SLUH was named among the top-scoring organizations in the mid-size employer category of theSt. Louis Post-Dispatch's survey of Top Workplaces.[6][7][8][9]
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 thetradition and philosophy ofSt. Ignatius of Loyola.[10] Theology and philosophy classes are conducted daily.
According to figures released on SLUH's website in 2011, the medianACT score for SLUH students is over 30.[11] 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.[12] Since 2005 a total of 31 students have received a 36, the highest score possible.[13] 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.[14]
In 2010, 23 students from SLUH were namedNational Merit Scholarship Program Semifinalists, more than any other school in Missouri.[15] 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.[16]
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.[11]
SLUH has also performed well in thePresidential Scholars Program. In 2007, for example, three of Missouri's ten semifinalists were from SLUH, with one, Daniel Viox, receiving one of the two scholarships awarded.[17] In 2012, one of Missouri's ten semifinalists was from SLUH.[18][19]
Thehumanities are emphasized in SLUH's curriculum. The language department has offered four-year programs inRussian andChinese since 1964.[20] In 1997, a student exchange program with theNanjing Foreign Language School was established.[21] Since 2011, SLUH has sponsored a Confucius Classroom which is a subdivision ofWebster University'sConfucius Institute.[22] In 1999, educational exchange programs for the study of Russian language and culture were established withschools inSt. Petersburg.[23][24] In keeping with its strongJesuitCatholic heritage, courses inLatin andGreek are offered, as are the popular choices ofFrench,Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese. SLUH also has strong programs in the natural sciences, mathematics, computer science, social sciences, fine arts, and literature.[25][26]
Virtually all SLUH students immediately entercolleges oruniversities upon graduation. Members of the Class of 2011 were accepted at 203 colleges and universities and attended 72 of them. These students accepted more than 300 scholarships totaling nearly $2 million.[27]
InThe 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.[28] In the Post's 2016 ranking, SLUH was ranked among the top 1.2% nationwide.[29] TheUnited States Department of Education'sNational Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognized SLUH as an Exemplary High Performing National Blue Ribbon School for 2015.[30] In 2016,Niche ranked SLUH as the 19th-best All-Boys high school in the US.[31]
The first major reconstruction of the SLUH campus came in the 1980s, when then-principal Fr. Thomas Cummings, S.J. began the "E-3" campaign. This was highlighted by the construction of the Robinson Library and the development of property fronting Oakland Avenue, including the football stadium and upper parking lot. Development continued in the 1990s with the inauguration of the performing arts wing highlighted by a 610-seat theater, named after longtime drama teacher Joseph Schulte in the 2000s. Previously the school auditorium/theater had been located within the main school building, and its move allowed for a large expansion of classrooms and office space. The Jesuits also moved out of the Backer Memorial building around this time and into nearby houses the school purchased: the "J-wing" then became home to the theology department, several classrooms, and the administrative offices.
In the late 1990s, a large capital campaign to fund growth and expansion projects began under Fr. Paul Sheridan, S.J. Called Vision 2000 (V2K), the $32 million plan[32] included reducing class sizes, better integrating technology into the curriculum, and increasing class options.[33]
The early phases of the program included the addition of new teaching and counseling positions in order to reduce class size and teaching loads and to expand the curriculum. Over eight years, 18 new teaching and counseling positions were added.[34]
The physical improvements began in 2004 when the football stadium was givenartificial turf[35] and a new entry boulevard to the west of the campus was constructed jointly with the adjacentSt. Louis Science Center, along with a new shared parking facility. The construction continued with the addition of a 17-acresoccer–track complex (renamed in 2025 after retiring theology teacher and track/cross country coach Jim Linhares) and Sheridan Stadium,[32] a newbaseball field. The new athletic facilities allowed SLUH to host baseball games on campus for the first time, while also providing the school with a competition-standard track oval (the previous track at the football stadium was both shorter than 400 meters as well as irregularly shaped). Since 2008, the SLUH track has hosted the Festival of Miles, drawing top scholastic and professional distance runners from across the country with proceeds supporting a chosen St. Louis-area athlete in need; as of 2025, 81four-minute miles have been run at SLUH as part of the Festival.[36]
In 2009 SLUH completed the Danis Field House, a free-standing field house that contains two gymnasium spaces, a wrestling room, offices and meeting space for the athletic staff, and locker facilities.[37] The former gymnasium was retrofitted into the Si Commons, a flexible space used daily as the school cafeteria but with a permanent stage for all-school Masses, assemblies, and alumni events.
More recently, SLUH completed the Go Forth campaign, which raised over seventy million dollars in funds for the school. Notable projects accomplished with this money include 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 chapel skylights were opened, and Campus Ministry was moved to the old location of the switchboard (adjacent to the J-wing) with brand-new offices. The former Campus Ministry space was then turned into a collaborative study space called the CoLab, while the old administrative and counseling offices became the Heithaus Media Center with new facilities for student publications, photography and podcasting studios, and video productions.
Two major donations were made to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Backer Memorial campus on Oakland Avenue. The first, a $10 million donation from tech entrepreneur and class of 1965 alumnus Bob Conrads, was made in 2024 to endow a new center for integrated STEM education.[38] A separate $16 million gift was made in 2025 by financier John Schaefer to establish the Sciuto Institute for Teaching Excellence, named in honor of his fellow class of 1970 graduate and longtime SLUH teacher Matt Sciuto. This initiative will support pedagogical research, enhanced teacher networking and recruitment, and professional development opportunities.[39]
SLUH is competitive in many academic events such as math contests,Math League, Speech Team,Mock Trial andQuizbowl (Academic Team). SLUH was the top-scoring high school in the Missouri chapter of Math League for five years running.[40] The Quizbowl team of 2006-07 won the district title and second place at the state competition along with the individual second place medal.[41]
SLUH's athletic teams are known as the Jr.Billikens, or Jr. Bills. Their rivals areChristian Brothers College High School. They compete in theMetro Catholic Conference. In Missouri state competition (MSHSAA), they compete at the largest classification and have won many state championships, including the following: water polo 22 times, basketball four times (1946, 1952, 1958, 1961), soccer five times (1972, 1990, 2003, 2024, 2025), tennis three times (1970, 1981, 2006), ice hockey four times (2013, 2018, 2019, 2022), swimming and diving four times (1956, 2003, 2018, 2024), cross country five times (1961, 1999, 2009, 2012, 2013), golf twice (1952, 2025), track and field once (2006), football once (1970), lacrosse twice (2009, 2012), volleyball five times (2003, 2007, 2008, 2015, 2016). At the national level, the racquetball program has won sixteen times, and rifle team has captured the national championship six times. In addition, they field teams in multiple other sports such as, inline hockey, rugby union, and ultimate frisbee.
Charles "Dismas" Clark, taught mathematics and served as an administrator at SLUH during the 1930s. After returning from service as an army chaplain during WWII, he became an advocate of prison reform and rehabilitation. In 1959 he founded Dismas House,[99] the first half-way house for parolees and former prisoners in the United States. TheHoodlum Priest, a film about Clark, was made in 1961.Don Murray played the role of "Dismas" Clark.[100][101][102][103][104][105]
Walter Halloran taught at SLUH during the 1970s. Prior to that he earned twoBronze Stars while serving as a paratrooper chaplain during theVietnam War. In 1949 he assisted William S. Bowdern with what has since become a famous case of exorcism.[106]
^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.
