From its modest initial enrollment of 105 students in 1949, St. Edward has now graduated over 19,000 alumni.
The history of St. Edward High School reveals visionary objectives and the attainment of excellence both inside and outside the classroom through innovative teaching, enhanced programs and facilities, and numerous accolades.
1837: The Congregation of Holy Cross is founded in France by Blessed Basil Moreau, C.S.C. Moreau’s philosophy and writings continue to influence Holy Cross education today.
1841: Several members of the Congregation of Holy Cross travel from France to Indiana, where they later start a university now known as the University of Notre Dame. Today, the Congregation’s Midwest Province of Brothers is headquartered in Notre Dame, Indiana.
1944: Bishop Edward Hoban invites the Congregation of Holy Cross to open a boys’ high school in the Cleveland area.
1945: The Diocese of Cleveland purchases the land where St. Edward High School is located.
1949: Under the leadership of the Brothers of Holy Cross, St. Edward High School opens to 105 freshmen. The school is named after St. Edward the Confessor and in honor of Bishop Edward Hoban. While the school building at 13500 Detroit Avenue is being built, classes for the first two years are held nearby at St. Therese Academy and St. James Hall.
1950: St. Edward students select “Eagles” as the school nickname.
1951: The St. Edward school building opens at 13500 Detroit Avenue in Lakewood. Over the next 70 years, new additions would expand the building by more than 50%–from 172,000 square feet to 260,000 square feet.
1953: St. Edward graduates its first class.
1955: The Alma Mater is composed.
1962: President John F. Kennedy stops by St. Edward High School. A plaque with a photograph commemorating the visit hangs in the main hallway.
1965: The St. Edward curriculum is meant “to develop competence and desire for a lifetime of self-directed learning,” according to a publication entitled “Think 2000…and beyond.” To accommodate innovative teaching and increasing enrollment, St. Edward opens a new academic wing (which now includes the Student Success Center, as well as science and English classrooms) and a new athletic wing (now the Wrestling Room and coaches’ offices).
1967: St. Edward is one of 50 schools in the United States to be recognized by the National Education Association for “effective and imaginative education” and is chosen to serve as a demonstration center for the National Commission on Teacher Education and Professional Standards.
1968: Enrollment reaches its peak at 1,752 students.
1978: The St. Edward wrestling program wins its first state championship. Since 1978, St. Edward athletic teams have won 78 state championships in nine sports, including 46 in wrestling.
1982: The wrestling program wins the first of its 11 national championships.
1985: The hockey program wins the first of its 11 state championships—more than any other hockey program in Ohio.
1996: St. Edward is designated as a national Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.
1998: St. Edward officially becomes a college preparatory high school. Also, St. Edward is the first Division I school in Ohio to win three state championships in the same year (wrestling, basketball, and baseball).
2001: Engineering is introduced as an elective. Today, 11 different courses are offered through the Department of Engineering & Computer Science.
2002: The Student Activity Center is dedicated. The building now includes the auxiliary gym, an updated weight room, the Baseball Lab, and the Hall of Fame Hallway.
2003: The Jack Kahl Student Life and Leadership Center is dedicated. This multipurpose facility includes a boardroom, several offices and classrooms, and a spacious atrium.
2008: The Joseph & Helen Lowe Institute for Innovation and the Holy Family Chapel are dedicated on the grounds where the Brothers’ House once stood. Today, the expanded Lowe Institute includes classroom spaces for engineering, film, science, and business. Also in this year, business is introduced as an elective. Today, the Department of Business & Entrepreneurship offers eight courses, with over half of all students electing to take one or more of them.
2012: St. Edward is authorized as an International Baccalaureate World School and begins offering IB courses. Today, more than 70% of all upperclassmen enroll in at least one IB course per year.
2013: In the spirit of Holy Cross hospitality, the Office of Admission relocates to a newly renovated space that is designed to welcome prospective families to the community. Additionally, St. Edward creates a Film Department for students to delve deeper into filmmaking courses.
2014: St. Edward announces its first class of IB Diploma recipients. As of 2024, over 300 students have earned the prestigious IB Diploma.
2016: For the second time, St. Edward is designated as a national Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. In the same year, St. Edward creates the Department of International Programs and adds a Community Period to the middle of the school day.
2017: St. Edward begins the St. Andre Scholars, a life-skills program for students with moderate intellectual and developmental disabilities.
2018: The mission statement is revised to read: “St. Edward High School, a Catholic school in the Holy Cross tradition, educates the hearts and minds of a diverse group of young men to have the competence to see and the courage to act as men of hope for the transformation of the world.” Also, new additions to The Joseph & Helen Lowe Institute for Innovation include a third level—which houses business classes and an ideation space—as well as expanded science and engineering labs to further enhance hands-on learning.
2020: The Marilyn and David Palisin ’64 Commons opens. This spacious building includes the new dining hall and reception area and serves as a communal gathering space for students before and after school.
2023: The Michael T. George ’21 Student Success Center opens to enhance academic support through tutoring and intervention services. Also, the football program wins its third consecutive state championship—its seventh title in 14 years—and the Marching Band earns its seventeenth superior rating.
2024: St. Edward surpasses its fundraising records through its Annual Fund, Wings Auction, and Scholarship Granting Organization donations.
