History of St. Joseph Academy
In 1866 Augustin Verot, Bishop of St. Augustine, traveled to his native LePuy, France to ask the Sisters of St. Joseph to send
religious women to teach literacy to the newly freed slaves of whom there
were hundreds in north Florida. The first Sisters arrived September 2, 1866. Their first
schoolroom was under the patronage of St. Joseph, and still stands today on
Aviles Street in Downtown St. Augustine.
From the 1870's throughout the Flagler
Period in the early 1900’s the Academy was also a girl’s boarding
school for northerners wintering at Henry Flagler’s Florida
hotels. In keeping with the times, the school touted its “advantages as
to health … the building is well ventilated and commands a fine view of
the ocean”. A “fine Bath-house” was situated on the Bay
near the convent and the “young ladies are frequently taken to bathe”.
The course of study was “thorough, and embraces all the branches of a
solid and ornamental education.”
It was in 1874 that St. Joseph Academy
received its state charter as an educational institution. It is this date
that substantiates the Academy as the oldest
continuing Catholic high school in Florida.
In 1924 SJA received accreditation from the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools - an accreditation that has been
ongoing to the present.
The Academy continued accepting boarding
students until the late 1960's especially attracting students from the
Caribbean and South American areas.
In the late 1970's the Sisters of St.
Joseph determined that they were unable to continue the sponsorship of the
Academy and it passed to the jurisdiction of the Diocese of St. Augustine. In
1980 the school was relocated to its present site.
Most recently St. Joseph Academy received
$6+ million from The Opportunity of a Lifetime Campaign for building and
renovation projects. The newness of the facilities, especially the Sullivan
Chapel, reflects the traditions of the founding Sisters. 
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