Past Present & Future

The History of St. Pius X School
The present day St. Pius X School first opened its doors in the year 1870 as the Westerly High School and remained so until the high school was relocated in 1903. From that year through 1955, the Elm Street Grammar School was in residence. When two new public schools were built in town, the brick building on Elm Street stood empty for the first time in 85 years.

That year, under the auspices of St. Pius X Parish, its Pastor, the late William Farrell, and then Bishop of Providence, the late Russell J. McVinney purchased the property and renovations began on the future St. Pius X Elementary School. It would be staffed by the Religious Teachers Filippini, whose primary objective was one of the greatest goals of the Catholic Church, the Christian education of children. September 3, 1963 marked the formal opening of our school.

In 1994, St. Pius X School joined a growing number of Catholic schools throughout the country and began its first year under the lay leadership of Principal Ann Brockmann, M.Ed. Forty years of history makes us a relatively young Catholic school, yet St. Pius X School continues to offer quality education to its students, proclaiming the truths of our Catholic faith, urging children to develop their minds in every way possible and use their abundant gifts for the greater glory of God.

In July of 2005, Mr. Henry Fiore, Jr. was hired as the new principal of St. Pius X School. Mr. Fiore, a Westerly native was previously the principal of Cranston-Johnston Catholic Regional School and Msgr. Clarke Catholic Regional School, and was named by the Diocese of Providence as Distinguished Principal of the Year in 2005. Expanding upon previous plans for expansion in an effort to relieve space constrictions and provide improved facilities and programs, St. Pius X School added a new air conditioned wing in 2006 consisting of two Pre-Kindergarten classrooms for a brand new Pre-Kindergarten program. The new wing also houses our middle school, including a new science laboratory.

In addition to the new wing, renovations to the existing building have been completed. We now have an upgraded computer laboratory with brand new Dell computers and Cox high speed internet. The administrative offices moved to the first floor, and renovations to the library were done, along with a new Faculty Room.

Our Future
Phase II of the expansion, set for the future will include a new gymnasium. We will keep you posted on any target dates accordingly.