About Us

Located in the heart of downtown Charleston, West Virginia

A Catholic, private, coeducational high school enrolling students from a variety of Christian and non-Christian backgrounds and from a wide range of ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds

316 students in grades 6-12, including 191 in grades 9-12

Rigorous college preparatory program for all students

Extensive athletic and extracurricular programs competing with public and private schools in the WVSSAC

100% of graduating classes typically enroll in four-year colleges and universities throughout the United States

Accredited by North Central Association of Schools

Accredited by WVBE Policy 2330.

Charleston Catholic High School has been operating continuously since September 4, 1923.  On that day, high school classes started at Sacred Heart High School.  The first graduation of Sacred Heart High School was in 1927 at Sacred Heart Church for 11 graduates.  The school moved to 1108 Virginia Street in 1927 due to its growing enrollment.

Throughout the 1930s the high school continued to grow.  By 1937 there were 140 students enrolled.  It was decided in the late 1930s that a new building would need to be constructed as a permanent home for the growing school. Construction began on April 15, 1940, and on June 2, 1940, the cornerstone of the new building was laid at the corner of Virginia and Broad Streets (which is now Leon Sullivan Way).  The first classes were held in our current building in January 1941.  Still known as Sacred Heart High School, the lot and two story building cost $238,000 and featured twelve classrooms, laboratories, study hall, library, gymnasium, cafeteria, and kitchen. 

In a letter dated August 22, 1941, Bishop Swint declared Sacred Heart High School to be a central Catholic High School for the City of Charleston and South Charleston and surrounding areas and re-named the school Charleston Catholic High School. 

Post-war growth of Charleston led to the expansion of the school and the addition of a third floor in the 1950s. Enrollment peaked in the late 1960s and then began a slow decline in the mid-1980s.

In 1986, Monsignor P. Edward Sadie, rector of Sacred Heart, hired Debra K. Sullivan as the principal. Enrollment rebounded through the 1990s. In 1994 construction began on a new math and science wing. In 2000, Charleston Catholic purchased and renovated the Players Club tennis building, adding basketball, volleyball, and training facilities.

In 2014 Debra Sullivan retired as principal, handing the reins to Colleen Hoyer, Class of 1994. In the spring of 2016 plans were announced to build a 4th floor on the math and science wing, thanks to a generous lead gift from the Krupa Foundation. Construction began in the summer of 2016. The 4th floor was completed in the summer of 2017 and put in use starting with the 2017-2018 school year.

2023-2024 will mark the school’s 100th year of continuous operation.

As part of the Charleston Catholic High School Theology Department, Campus Ministry is an essential facet of our mission to help students fully develop their God-given talents and abilities. Rooted in Catholic tradition and Gospel values, Campus Ministry nurtures the spiritual needs of members of the CCHS community across our varied denominations and faith traditions. Our ministry has many components: spiritual formation, prayer, reflection, retreats, community services, social justice outreach, and liturgies. Through these and other opportunities, Campus Ministry provides CCHS community members opportunities to grow in self-knowledge and to deepen relationships with others and with God.

HOPE is a community service project sponsored by Charleston Catholic High School.

HOPE has the dual purpose of:

• improving the quality of housing for low-income families and seniors in rural southern West Virginia; and
• instilling the habit of service in students, a commitment to living the works of mercy.

Charleston Catholic High School has been involved in home renovation projects for disadvantaged West Virginia families for 34 years. Since 2005, HOPE volunteers have improved the living conditions for 151 low-income families in Clay, Wayne, and Mingo counties. Since 2019, partnering with Cabwaylingo Appalachian Mission in Dunlow, we have assisted in the construction of 6 new homes for families living in substandard housing, and have completed home repairs for other folks in the area. To help, click on the Donate button below.