Our History
Saint Joseph Parish was founded on June 7, 1905, as the second parish in the City of Danbury. Saint Joseph Parish School was opened on September 7, 1924, with 185 boys and 110 girls enrolled. The school was staffed by seven Sisters of Mercy. In 1953, the Diocese was canonically divided and Saint Joseph Parish and School passed from the Archdiocese of Hartford to the newly created Diocese of Bridgeport.
In 1955, an addition to the school was built, enlarging the building to 17 classrooms and adding a library and gym. In 1970, to help defray the costs of maintaining the building, part of the school was rented to a city/state funded day care center – Action Day Care. The same year, a Kindergarten was started to help bolster the declining school population. In 1974, a lay principal was appointed to administer the school. In 1975, the remaining two Sisters of Mercy on staff were transferred, resulting in an all lay staff. Also, in 1975, the Kindergarten program was separated from the school and became a private, non-sectarian Pre-School and Kindergarten sponsored by the parish. In 1990, a full day Kindergarten program was opened by the school in addition to the Kindergarten programs offered by the parish sponsored organization.
In 1933, Saint Joseph School became a part of the Region IX Catholic School System of Greater Danbury. The original region contained 7 schools and 14 parishes. In July, 1995, this region was split into two regions. In the early 2000’s, Saint Joseph School became a Diocesan school with the city/state sponsored Pre-School program disbanding in 2006.
Today, Saint Joseph School continues to serve the children from Danbury and its surrounding areas. Our faculty and staff include 16 lay teachers, 5 teacher assistants and a Sister of Saint Joseph. A lay administrator and secretary complete the school personnel. As a diverse school, Saint Joseph School, prides herself on educating students from all economic and cultural backgrounds.
Our Philosophy
Saint Joseph School is a Catholic, multi-cultural, child-centered school striving to be a living community of faith within a safe environment. Our school seeks to permeate every educational experience within the guidance of the school with the message of love and the vitality of Christ's presence. We are committed to nurturing individual excellence in every child.
Communication between home and school is an integral component of our philosophy. Recognizing that parents are the primary educators, we work to reinforce the education that parents have initiated. Realizing that each child comes to our school with a distinct set of values, emotions, personality, and family background, we encourage an inclusive curriculum which provides for the development of the whole child-spiritually, intellectually, physically, socially, and emotionally. We seek to instill in our community a strong sense of Christian morals and ethics, enabling each to become a contributing member ofr our global society.