Xavier College Preparatory is a Catholic, all-female private high school in Phoenix,

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...

, United States. It is located in the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix The Diocese of Phoenix ( la, Dioecesis Phoenicensis; es, Diócesis de Phoenix) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory or diocese in the state of Arizona in the United States. It was established on December 2, 1969, when it was split off ...

, drawing students from 120 local schools.

History

Xavier High School was founded in 1943 by the Jesuit Fathers of St. Francis Xavier Parish and the

Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary The Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known by its initials BVM, is a Roman Catholic religious institute founded in the United States by Mother Mary Frances Clarke. Its founders were Irish Catholics. The BVM currently works in twe ...

. Originally located on the campus of

Brophy College Preparatory Brophy College Preparatory is a Jesuit high school in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. The school has an all-male enrollment of approximately 1,400 students. It is operated independently of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix. The school has ...

, the school moved into Fitzgerald hall on its current campus in the spring of 1953. More buildings have been added as the school has grown. The school was granted College Preparatory status in 1982 and changed its name to Xavier College Preparatory. Today, Xavier has over 1,200 students. While the school remains all-female, students at Xavier share many classes with students from

, the all-male Jesuit high school that is adjacent to Xavier. All leadership positions in the administration and student body are filled by women.

Academics

Xavier follows a traditional college preparatory curriculum. Students are required to take classes in English, Mathematics, Catholic Theology, Social Studies, Laboratory Sciences, World Languages, Fine Arts and Physical Education as well as half a semester of Computer Programming. 46 Honors classes are available in all fields of study, and 27 Advanced Placement Classes are available to students in grades 9–12. All seniors are required to take AP Literature. There is also a service requirement for all juniors. Students were permitted to take classes at

however, this is no longer the case. Dual Enrollment is available through

Rio Salado College Rio Salado College is a public community college headquartered in Tempe, Arizona United States. It is part of the Maricopa County Community College District and accredited by The Higher Learning Commission. It offers associate degree and certif ...

and most classes offer dual credit. In the past 10 years, the school has congratulated 89 National Merit Finalists, 143 Commended Scholars, 36 National Hispanic Scholars, and five National Black American Scholars. Xavier students have been designated Presidential Scholars in 1979, 1986, 1990, 2001, 2008, and 2014; Presidential Scholar Semi-Finalists in 1975, 1993, and 2014; and Flinn Scholars in 2004, 2014, 2016, and 2019. In the 1990–91, 1994–96, and 2013–14 school years it was honored as a

Blue Ribbon school The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...

Athletics

Xavier has numerous sports teams including teams in cross country, track, crew, golf, tennis, badminton, cheer, pom, swim/dive, soccer, volleyball, sand volleyball, basketball, softball, archery, shotgun, and eSports.Xavier Athletics
Xavier College Preparatory. Retrieved July 24, 2018. Xavier Spiritline cheer won the USA national championship in 2017. Xavier Spiritline pom got second place in the USA national championship in 2017. Xavier also fields championship golf, badminton, swim/dive, cross country, volleyball, basketball, soccer, track and softball teams as well as active club teams in crew, lacrosse, and shooting sports. Xavier Swim team has won more state championships than any other high school in Arizona with 27 state titles since 1985.

Student life

Xavier High School has over 80 clubs available to students including three publications and multiple honors societies, including a Computer Science Honor Society. They also have an extensive theatre program and many opportunities to travel abroad for both study and service.Student Life
Xavier College Preparatory. Retrieved April 2, 2020.

Honor societies

Xavier was the first high school in the state of Arizona to found a chapter of the Computer Science Honor Society. The induction of its founding members occurred on August 28, 2019. The Computer Science Department was inspired by Sister

Mary Kenneth Keller Mary Kenneth Keller, B.V.M. (December 17, 1913 – January 10, 1985) was an American Catholic religious sister, educator and pioneer in computer science. She was the first person to earn a Ph.D. in computer science in the United States. Keller an ...

, BVM, who was one of the first two Americans to earn a PhD in Computer Science and a member of the same order of nuns, the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which has run Xavier since its founding in 1943. The Xavier Computer Science Honor Society also offers many opportunities for young women to become more involved in STEAM. One of the Society's biggest events of the year is Girls Have IT Day. Girls Have IT is run by members of the Xavier Computer Science Honor Society, and invites middle school girls from all across the Valley to gain more knowledge about STEAM subjects through a series of booths and hands-on activities set up around the Xavier campus that are run by Xavier students. The middle school girls who attend Girls Have IT Day enjoy learning about STEAM from their "near-peer" instructors, and after coming to the event, 90% of the attendees are inspired to work harder in school.

Notable alumnae

Betsey Bayless Betsey Bayless (born January 10, 1944) was the 16th Secretary of State of Arizona from September 5, 1997, until January 6, 2003. She was appointed to fill the unexpired term of fellow Republican Jane Dee Hull. She was elected to a full term Novemb ...

Secretary of State of Arizona The secretary of state of Arizona is an elected position in the U.S. state of Arizona. Since Arizona does not have a lieutenant governor, the secretary stands first in the line of succession to the governorship. The secretary also serves as ac ...

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, actress and comedian *

Jeanne Collier Jeanne Ellen Collier (born May 15, 1946) is a former American diver. She competed at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and won a silver medal in the 3 meter springboard. Collier graduated from the Xavier High School (Arizona) in Phoenix and wo ...

, diver and Olympic medalist *

Heather Farr Heather Farr (March 10, 1965 – November 20, 1993) was an American professional golfer on the Early years Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Farr was the elder of two daughters of Gerald D. (Jerry) and Sharon Farr. She and her sister Missy ...

, professional golfer *

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, entrepreneur, speaker, and author *

Khalia Lanier Khalia Imani Lanier (born September 19, 1998) is an American professional volleyball player who plays as an outside hitter for Italian Series A1 team Volley Bergamo 1991 and the United States women's national team. She played collegiately for ...

, volleyball player *

Lois Maffeo Lois Maffeo (professionally known for much of her career as Lois) is an American musician and writer who lives in Olympia, Washington. She has been closely involved with and influenced many independent musicians, especially in the 1990s-era Oly ...

, musician *

Meghan McCain Meghan Marguerite McCain (born October 23, 1984) is an American television personality, columnist, and author. She has worked for ABC News, Fox News, and MSNBC. The daughter of politician John McCain and diplomat Cindy McCain, she has been a p ...

, news commentator * Grace Park, professional golfer *

Loret Miller Ruppe Loret Miller Ruppe (January 3, 1936 – August 7, 1996) was a Director of the Peace Corps and US Ambassador to Norway. She was the wife of U. S. Congressman Philip Ruppe of Michigan. Early life Loret Miller was born January 3, 1936, in Milwaukee ...

, U.S. ambassador and director of the

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John ...

Emma Stone Emily Jean Stone (born November 6, 1988), known professionally as Emma Stone, is an American actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award. In 2017, she ...

, actress *

Cheyenne Woods Cheyenne Nicole Woods (born July 25, 1990) is an American professional golfer. Early life Woods was born in Phoenix, Arizona. She is a daughter of Susan Woods and Earl Dennison Woods Jr., who is golfer Tiger Woods' half-brother, making Cheyenne ...

, professional golfer

References

External links

Official school website
{{authority control High schools in Phoenix, Arizona Catholic secondary schools in Arizona Catholic Church in Arizona Educational institutions established in 1944 1944 establishments in Arizona Girls' schools in Arizona