Knoxville Catholic High School
Founded 1932, Knoxville, TN
Diocese of Knoxville

The origins of Knoxville Catholic High School go back to the years of World War I, when the two Catholic grade schools of Knoxville—Saint Mary’s and Holy Ghost—began to offer three-year high school programs for the their students. Generally recognized for their high standards of education, these two schools produced students considered ready for college admission. However, the need for a formal four-year high school program became apparent, and by the 1920s, planning for a Catholic high school in Knoxville had begun.

Under the leadership of Father Francis D. Grady, the pastor of Immaculate Conception parish, the planning and fund raising for the new high school progressed, in spite of the intervention of the Great Depression. In 1932, a large Victorian home owned by the Gregory Ashe family on Magnolia Avenue was purchased to house the school, and Knoxville Catholic High School’s first 98 students were welcomed in the fall of that year.

For almost 70 years, the Magnolia Avenue campus would witness the tremendous growth of the high school—so much so, that the need for a new campus became obvious. By the late 1990s, a capital campaign was begun to relocate KCHS to its current site at Fox Lonas and Cedar Bluff. In 2000 the big move was completed, and enrollment records continue to be broken every year.

In the fall of 2005, the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation responded to the request of Bishop Kurtz to join the faculty of KCHS. The Sisters have received a very gracious welcome from their new mission and have responded in kind to the spirit of the school—GO IRISH!

Visit Knoxville Catholic High School at: www.knoxvillecatholic.com