St. Joseph School in historic Bardstown is a vibrant, vital Catholic school that includes preschool, elementary, and middle school serving Nelson and surrounding counties. In 2017, St. Joseph School was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. Since 1982, the US Department of Education has awarded the Blue Ribbon to schools based on their overall academic excellence. To achieve Blue Ribbon status, St. Joseph students performed in the top 15% in the nation on Reading and Mathematics standardized tests. The Council for American Private Education reviews all private school reports and advances only the top 50 to the U.S. Department of Education. That makes St. Joseph one of the best schools in Kentucky and nationwide!
All classrooms have Promethean Boards, and all students in grades 3-8 are one-to-one with chromebooks. Kindergarten, first, and second grades have class sets of iPads.
Traditional curriculum for K-8 includes language arts, math, science, social studies, and religion. St. Joseph School offers technology, music, library, physical education, spanish, and art classes for each grade.
Extracurricular activities include: athletics, clubs, Elementary and Middle School academic teams, middle school House Program, and stewardship opportunities.
In 2012, the Parish Fellowship Hall added two additional preschool classrooms and meeting space to the St. Joseph campus. The preschool offers full-day and half-day preschool programs (Monday-Friday) for 3- and 4-year-old children. After school care is available for preschool and K-8 students. Financial aid is offered through the Catholic Education Foundation. Free bus service is available for Bardstown and Bullitt, Hardin, Nelson, and Washington Counties.
St. Joseph School is accredited through AdvanceED (SACS). Enrollment has steadily increased over the last few years and is consistently over 400 students in preschool through eighth grade. The school welcomes families of all religions, races, and national origins. The school’s mission is to support the pursuit of academic excellence while integrating Catholic faith into every facet of the school.
