About Saint Louis School
About Saint Louis SchoolSaint Louis School is the only all-male day school in Hawai'i offering a college preparatory education to students in grades Kindergarten through 12. The school is located on the lower Kalaepohaku segment of the Ko'olau mountains in suburban Honolulu. Saint Louis is a private Catholic school under the sponsorship of the United States Province of the Society of Mary, or the Marianists, based in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1845, King Kamehameha Ill granted 216 acres to the Catholic Mission under the Fathers of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary to establish the College of 'Ahuimanu "for the purpose of teaching scholars the use of letters, such as reading, arithmetic, writing, geography, and such studies", opening its doors in 1846. In 1880, the school moved to its second location adjacent to the bustling seaport of Honolulu near the site of today's State Capitol. The structure, known as Stone House, was but a temporary location for what became known as Saint Louis College, likely named in honor of the patron saint of the Reverend Louis Maigret, Bishop of the Diocese of Honolulu. As enrollment increased, the Fathers of the Sacred Hearts relocated the school to Kamakela on the west bank of Nu'uanu stream. College Walk is the name of the riverside promenade that remains today as a vestige of the school's third campus. In 1883, eight Brothers of the Society of Mary (Marianists) arrived from Dayton, Ohio and assumed its sponsorship of the school that continues to this day. To accommodate a growing enrollment, a more spacious site was sought for the school. Encouraged by the Bishop, the Mission Fathers, the Hawaiian Legislature, and King David Kalakaua, the faculty and alumni laid plans for a new school. Following several years of fundraising and site searching, in 1923, land was purchased and plans were developed to relocate the campus to its fourth and present-day site. Students of Saint Louis College began classes on Kalaepöhaku in September, 1928. ACCREDITATION & ACADEMIC RECOGNITIONSt. Louis College was licensed by the Department of Education of the Territory of Hawai'i on October 17, 1907. National accreditation was granted in 1949 by the Northwest Accreditation Association, and since 1965, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Other accrediting agencies include the Western Conference for Catholic Education (WCEA) and the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools (HAIS). Beginning in 1949, the lower grade levels were progressively eliminated to limit enrollment to grades 9 through 12 and to accommodate the establishment of Chaminade College on the same campus. In 1979, the school's Board of Trustees decided to once again incorporate intermediate grades 7 and 8 into the curricular structure. With the addition of grade 6, a middle school was established and remained so until the revival of elementary grades starting with grade 5 in the fall of 2003. Grade 4 was added in the fall of 2005. The elementary addition was short-lived as the realization of an insufficient physical space and facilities forced the Board to preempt further expansion. The last cohort of 17 grade 4 students was admitted in the school year 2008-2009. Grade 5 was eliminated as those students moved forward. With renewed momentum and a dedicated elementary space in Honolulu, HI, grade 5 was restored in 2015, followed by grades 4 through kindergarten in 2016, making Saint Louis School a K–12 institution for the first time. To learn more about Saint Louis School’s programs and enrollment opportunities, call us today at (808) 739-7777 |