St. Francis High School Wheaton, IL

HISTORY & ENROLLMENT

St. Francis is a college-preparatory, co-educational Catholic high school.

The effort to build St. Francis High School began in 1955, when it was designed to be a regional high school to serve the neighboring parishes. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on November 11, 1956 and the first classes began in 1957.

The new school was co-instructional with boys and girls separated into different wings of the facility. The first faculty included three religious orders; the LaSallian Christian Brothers instructed the boys and the Wheaton Franciscan Sisters and the I.B.V.M. Sisters educated the girls. The first co-educational classes began in 1969.

In 1971, the Christian Brothers withdrew from the school. Through the 70's and early 80's the diocesan priests and nuns along with many lay teachers staffed the school. In the late 80's and the 90's the number of priests and nuns on staff was dwindling. St. Francis is fortunate to have a full-time Sister of Mercy, Sr. Sheila E. Megley, RSM, PhD, on staff in the capacity of president. In addition, over seventy lay faculty and staff members serve over seven hundred young men and women from throughout the western suburbs. The school now has over 7,400 proud graduates.
 

MISSION

Meeting the individual needs of young men and women on their path to spiritual, academic, physical and emotional development is the most profound challenge of education today.

As a Catholic, college preparatory, secondary school, St. Francis High School prepares students as a learning community to become critical thinkers and faith filled responsible adults.

In the spirit of our namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, we are committed to the highest quality of education in the daily presence of Jesus Christ.  
 

SCHOOL BOARD

Carl Segneri , Chairman
Mary Beth Theiss, Vice-Chairman
Christopher Neigel, Secretary
Dr. Dennis Beck
Francis (Joe) J. Duffy
Craig Eldridge
Robert Hoppenstedt
Phillip Kerr
Peter Kinsella
Sr. Sheila E. Megley, R.S.M.
Richard Mier
Rev. John M. Sebahar
Rev. John Sullivan
Leonard Vokaty
Nancy Wolfe

COLLEGE PREP
HIGH SCHOOL

St. Francis offers an academic environment designed to challenge students with even the brightest minds. We strive to prepare our students for life beyond high school with a comprehensive college preparatory curriculum. Due to our size, we are able to concentrate attention on the individual learner and offer many opportunities for one-on-one learning. Our goal is to develop skill, competency, and a lifelong commitment to leadership.

Our history of successfully educating young students speaks for itself as St. Francis continues its outstanding record of student achievement. Close to 100% of our graduates continue their education at colleges and universities throughout the nation. Some of these schools include the University of Notre Dame, Cornell University, DePaul University, Georgetown University, Julliard School of Music, Loyola University, Northwestern University, the Service Military Academies and Big Ten Universities. Over the years, hundreds of St. Francis students have received recognized scholarships, including National Merit Scholarships, which rank them among the top students in the nation.
 

LOCATION

The St. Francis campus is located on a beautiful 20-acre wooded lot in Wheaton, Illinois, east of County Farm Road on Roosevelt Road.