Admissions 

“Rightly viewed, education is not a transaction. It’s not exchanging money for information. Rightly understood, education is about formation, and so the community you choose matters.”
Dr. Steven Jones
Director of the High School

Why do families select St. Joseph’s Catholic School?

Challenging Curriculum…

At St. Joseph’s, we stress two components that have proven value in education: high expectations for all students, combined with high levels of support. Our curriculum is designed to prepare students to succeed at the next level and beyond, and year after year, our graduates report that they are thankful for the rigorous experience they had at SJCS. Studies confirm that the most powerful factor for college success is the difficulty of high school courses. Tough courses do more than transmit genuine skills; they provide the experience – and instill the confidence – of completing something difficult. Because we believe that there is no substitute for hard work, our entire program is designed to develop a consistent work ethic in our students. Students are held to a high standard of achievement, and classes and homework assignments consistently challenge students. To that end, St. Joseph’s offers many Advanced Placement courses, all taught by College Board approved faculty. We also offer honors courses throughout the high school curriculum, as well as a range of interesting and challenging electives. Our middle school curriculum is designed to initiate students into a college preparatory environment, with rigorous instruction in the arts, science, mathematics, literature, history, religion, and separate grammatical instruction. Moreover, St. Joseph’s firm commitment to writing is demonstrated by our emphasis in middle school on grammar, spelling, and writing instruction.

Mission Driven…

The need for students with well-trained Christian minds and hearts that are stirred to action in order to defend and promote all that is good, true, and beautiful about the human person has never been greater. Unlike earlier decades when basic human values were supported by social conventions that at least implicitly recognized the authority of God and the dignity of every human being, most all expressions of faith have been gradually removed from public life. This task has been left almost exclusively to parents and the support that they received from the Catholic Church and her educational ministries. The greatest strength of Catholic education is its ability to integrate values-based education, character development, and a students’ relationship with God in a community of faith. To that end, St. Joseph’s assists parents in forming the hearts, minds, and souls of their children in the likeness of Christ. The SJCS faculty and staff work to build upon the foundation laid during the student’s younger years by striving to pass on the Catholic intellectual tradition to our students during their formative pre-teen/teenage years. The evangelical mission of St. Joseph’s extends beyond our excellent theology curriculum and chapel program and permeates all that we undertake at the school. Our students are taught to recognize the presence of Christ in themselves and others and this reverence for people is infused in all aspects of school life. Time and again we have witnessed the faith of our students come alive during their years at St. Joseph’s.

Teacher Quality…

St. Joseph’s recruits teachers both from within the academic vocation and from professional fields beyond education. Our faculty is made up of career-educators; in fact, over 65% of our faculty have more than 15 years’ experience in the classroom. Almost three-fourths of our teachers have graduate degrees in the fields in which they teach, and SJCS has a comprehensive evaluation and development program for all faculty. And, with longevity being a key indicator both of success and professional satisfaction, it is noteworthy that over one-third of our teachers have been at SJCS for ten years or more. St. Joseph’s teachers are masters in their subject areas, have proven teaching methods that yield results, and have high expectations for their students. Moreover, each faculty member strives to model the love and kindness of Christ. Our faculty is committed to embracing a common set of Catholic-Christian values; they buy into core beliefs that they bring to all their classes, not just religion class. Our students repeatedly tell us that it’s the teachers here that make the difference.

Strong Leadership…

St. Joseph’s administration is blessed with talented leaders who are dedicated to the school’s mission. Head of School Keith Kiser has been at the helm of our school since 2000, and his strong leadership has resulted in many notable accomplishments. Mr. Kiser’s vision for each student is that they know they have the power to “change the world” for the better, and his leadership, faith, and concern for the well-being of each student enrolled at St. Joseph’s have positively affected thousands of Upstate students and families. High School Director Dr. Steven Jones served on college and university faculties for fifteen years before joining SJCS in 2012. Middle School Director Wanda Jaraczewski had over twenty-five years’ experience in Catholic parish work and school administration before joining SJCS in 2018.

A reputation well beyond Greenville…

While St. Joseph’s Catholic School has already accomplished a great deal since opening its doors in 1993, we continue to strive for excellence as we embark on our third decade of educating Upstate students. Our reputation for providing a comprehensive educational experience has expanded well beyond Greenville, with the Cardinal Newman Society having recognized St. Joseph’s nationally as a “Top 50” Catholic School, naming us to their “School of Excellence” list since its inception in 2004. Colleges and universities throughout the United States welcome our graduates, ranging from accredited in-state schools (Clemson, Furman, University of South Carolina); popular out-of-state schools (Auburn, Georgia Tech, UNC-Chapel Hill, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest); Catholic colleges (Belmont Abbey, Catholic University of America, Fordham, Franciscan,  University of Notre Dame); highly selective institutions (Brown, Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, Duke, Georgetown); and U.S. Military Academies (Air Force, Naval Academy, Virginia Military Institute, West Point). Consider the Class of 2022 as a testament to the value of the St. Joseph’s experience: 108 graduates earned over $14 million dollars in college scholarship money; 98% received at least one college scholarship, 96% received a South Carolina state scholarship award, and 93% of the class were accepted into their first and/or second choice college. In short, an SJCS diploma is a valuable credential for graduates seeking a rich post-graduate experience.