Xavier College Preparatory is a private,

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, all-girls high school in Phoenix,

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, United States. Located in the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix The Diocese of Phoenix (; ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, in western and central Arizona in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese of the ecclesiastical province of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. The Diocese of Ph ...

, it draws students from 120 local schools.

History

Xavier 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 tw ...

. Originally located on the campus of

Brophy College Preparatory Brophy College Preparatory is a Catholic high school in Phoenix, Arizona, United States founded in 1928. The school has an all-male enrollment of approximately 1,400 students. It is operated independently of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoeni ...

, 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 1,156 students, with a student-teacher ratio of 14 to 1. 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 Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board. AP offers undergraduate university-level curricula and examinations to high school students. Colleges and universities in the US and elsewhere ...

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 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, 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,

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 act ...

* Amanda Blumenherst, professional golfer * Aidy Bryant, actress and comedian * Allie Teilz, musician and artist * Jeanne Collier, diver and Olympic medalist * Heather Farr, professional golfer * Sarah Schmeizel, professional golfer * Stacey Ferreira, entrepreneur, speaker, and author * Khalia Lanier, 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 O ...

, musician *

Meghan McCain Meghan Marguerite McCain (born October 23, 1984) is an American television personality, columnist, and author. She has worked for ABC News (United States), ABC News, Fox News, and MSNBC. She is the daughter of politician John McCain and diplomat ...

, news commentator * Grace Park, professional golfer * Loret Miller Ruppe, U.S. ambassador and director of the

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an Independent agency of the U.S. government, independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to communities in partner countries around the world. It was established in Marc ...

Emma Stone Emily Jean "Emma" Stone (born November 6, 1988) is an American actress and film producer. Her accolades include two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. In 2017, she was the world's highest-paid actr ...

, actress * Cheyenne Woods, professional golfer

References

External links

* {{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