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Welcome
Welcome to our vibrant school community! As a proud ministry of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Albuquerque, NM, and the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, we are committed to nurturing both the minds and hearts of our students.
At our school, we offer a rigorous academic curriculum grounded in Catholic values, all within a safe, welcoming, and diverse environment. We strive to create a family-oriented atmosphere where respect, service, and compassion guide our actions. Here, students learn to embrace self-discipline, empowering them to reach their fullest potential—spiritually, academically, and personally. We're excited to partner with you in your child's journey!
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Our History
Our school’s journey began in 1947 when a five-acre plot of land south of St. Charles Borromeo Church was purchased with the vision of building a parish school. A two-story building was constructed, featuring ten classrooms on the upper level and a spacious recreation hall on the lower level that could later be transformed into additional classrooms and kindergarten facilities.
The first teachers were members of the Sisters of the Presentation order, including Sr. M. Cyril and Sr. M. Helen. Groundbreaking ceremonies were held on June 10, 1951, and by the time construction began in July, the school was already growing. During construction, the 1st and 2nd-grade classes were held at the Heights Catholic School. On February 25, 1952, the school officially opened with 150 students, and by September of that year, enrollment had surged to 250 students in grades K-5.
In 1955, we broke ground for our gymnasium, and by 1956, St. Pius X High School began using the lower-level classrooms. The Ursuline Sisters took charge of the school in 1969, ushering in a new chapter in our history. In 1988, the kindergarten and library moved to the convent, and in 1999, part of the gym was converted into a music room. The main building and convent were upgraded with evaporative coolers to keep students comfortable year-round.
In the late 90s and early 2000s, the school underwent significant improvements, including a complete renovation of the playground, the bathrooms, and the installation of a new boiler for winter heating. In the summers of 2014 and 2015, the convent was remodeled to accommodate our growing preschool program.
We celebrated the 65th anniversary of our school in February 2017, and we are proud to continue this rich tradition of academic excellence and Catholic values. Our story is one of growth, dedication, and a deep commitment to nurturing the minds and hearts of our students. We're excited to welcome you to be part of our next chapter!
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Our Diverse and Vibrant School Community
St. Charles Borromeo School is a vibrant reflection of our dedicated parish community, and we're proud of the diversity and hard-working spirit that defines us. Like our parish, the majority of our students come from middle-class, Catholic families committed to their faith and to supporting one another. Over 90% of our students are from Hispanic backgrounds, primarily residing in the western and southwestern parts of Albuquerque. Many parents work in local government, law enforcement, small businesses, hospitals, or as students themselves at community colleges and universities.
Our school is inclusive and offers support to all families—this year, about 14% of our students are eligible for the federal free and reduced lunch program, with the number occasionally reaching 20%. Our school is also supported by a dedicated group of elderly parishioners, some of whom generously help fund their grandchildren’s education. Additionally, our Vietnamese community is an important part of our parish, and we look forward to welcoming even more families from this vibrant group.
We are conveniently located with easy access off the interstate, making it easy for working parents to drop their children off on the way to local businesses or Sandia National Laboratories. To better serve families, we offer both before-care and after-care programs, accommodating the busy schedules of our parents.
While the local neighborhood around St. Charles has changed over the years, our community remains strong, with the University of New Mexico and local hospitals nearby. Our school continues to attract families from all walks of life, and we are grateful for the continued support from our community.
In recent years, about 50% of our 8th-grade graduates have gone on to attend St. Pius X and Chesterton Catholic High School, with all being successfully accepted and thriving there. The rest of our graduates attend a variety of other public and private high schools, but all carry forward the strong leadership qualities and Catholic values instilled here. St. Charles Borromeo has a proud legacy of shaping leaders in our community, and we are excited to welcome your family to join us on this incredible journey.
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Our Parish
Founded in 1934, St. Charles Borromeo Church holds the distinction of being the first parish on Albuquerque's southeast side. Serving as the spiritual heart of the community, it quickly became the "mother parish" for the entire east side of town. For over 78 years, St. Charles has proudly embraced a rich, multicultural community, welcoming families of Italian, Hispanic, and Vietnamese heritage. With a deep and meaningful religious history, St. Charles is excited to continue its mission as a vibrant center of education, culture, and faith—serving as a source of inspiration and support for families across New Mexico for generations to come.
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We are a ministry of the St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Albuquerque, NM and the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.
We provide a challenging academic curriculum fostered by Catholic values in a safe, diverse, family-oriented community. Our aim is for everyone to model respect, service and compassion for others, and to exercise self-discipline in order to reach their full potential.
History
In 1947, a five-acre tract of land was acquired south of St. Charles Borromeo church to build a parish school. A two-story building with ten classrooms on the upper level and a recreation hall for the parish on the lower level was constructed. Provisions were made so the recreation hall could be converted into eight more classrooms and kindergarten facilities.
The first teachers to staff the school were members of the Sisters of the Presentation order, Sr. M. Cyril and Sister M. Helen. Groundbreaking ceremonies took place on June 10, 1951 with construction beginning in July. The 1st and 2nd grade classes were held in the Heights Catholic School building while construction was underway. The school opened on February 25, 1952 with 150 students. By September of 1952, 250 students were enrolled in grades kindergarten through 5th. Groundbreaking ceremonies for the gymnasium occurred on April 17, 1955. In 1956, St. Pius X high school began in the lower-level classrooms. The Ursuline Sisters order took charge of the school in 1969. The kindergarten and the reading room (library) were moved into the convent in 1988. In 1999, part of the first floor of the gymnasium was made into a music room. Evaporative coolers were installed in the main building, and convent.
During the school years 1998-2000, the playground facilities were renovated, the bathrooms on both floors of the school were renovated with new plumbing, tile and fixtures, and the boiler was replaced to provide heat in the winter. During two summers in 2014 and 2015 the convent was remodeled and bathrooms upgraded prior to locating the pre-school classroom in the convent. February, 2017 marked the 65th anniversary of the school’s opening and continuous operation.
Background
The population of St. Charles Borromeo School is a reflection of the parish community in many ways. Both populations are hard-working, middle class individuals who are dedicated to their Catholic faith. Over 90% of our students are from Hispanic families, and most of them live in the western and southwestern part of Albuquerque. Many of their parents work for local government agencies and law enforcement. Others own or are employed by small businesses or nearby hospitals, and several parents are community college or University students.
Fourteen percent of our students are eligible for the federal free and reduced lunch program this year. Sometimes it ranges as high as 20%. There is a large cohort of elderly parishioners and, several of the elderly parishioners help pay for their grandchildren to attend St. Charles School. The parish also has a large Vietnamese community, and we look forward to the possibility of expanding our recruitment efforts with those families. They do, however, generously support our smaller fundraising efforts, for which we are very grateful.
Our location provides good access off the interstate highway, and we try to accommodate working families by providing some before-care and an after-care program. Many of our efforts to recruit students highlight the fact that parents can drop off their children on the way to work at surrounding facilities or on their way to Sandia National Laboratories located a few miles to the east of the school. Unfortunately, the local neighborhood feel of the area around St. Charles is not the way it was in the past, and that fact is also reflected in the population that attends church services at the parish. The community college is to the south, hospitals and medical offices to the west, and the University of New Mexico and its associated student housing area is to the north and east.For the past 4 years approximately 50% of the 8th grade graduates have applied and 100% have been accepted to St. Pius X and Chesterton Catholic High School. We receive reports that they have all been very successful at the school. The remaining graduates attend several different public and private high schools. St. Charles has a long history of creating leaders in the community.
St. Charles Parish
In 1934, St. Charles Borromeo Church was established as the first parish on the southeast side of Albuquerque. Central to the life of the city, it quickly became the “mother parish” to the entire east side of town. For over 78 years, St. Charles has been a multicultural Italian, Hispanic and Vietnamese community. With its rich religious history, St. Charles looks forward to continuing to serve as an educational, cultural and spiritual wellspring for New Mexico.
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Accreditation
We are accredited through the Western Catholic Educational Association (WCEA). The Western Catholic Educational Association is a private educational accrediting agency for Catholic elementary and secondary schools in ten western United States and the US Territory of Guam.
From the WCEA website:
" The mission of WCEA is to promote quality Catholic education for students in our member elementary and secondary schools through an accrediting process that assures the primacy of faith formation and educational excellence.The specific purpose of WCEA is to coordinate the accreditation process by assisting schools in their self-evaluative programs, to establish general standards for excellence in Catholic schools, to grant WCEA Accreditation, and to cooperate formally with regional accrediting organizations as determined by the WCEA Board of Directors. Currently WCEA co-accredits schools with ACS-WASC and AdvancED.
WCEA was originally formed in California under the auspices of the Bishops of the Catholic Arch/Dioceses of California. Although the membership now includes Catholic Arch/Dioceses in nine other states and Guam, the Bishops of the Catholic Arch/Dioceses of California retain reserved powers as the Members of the Corporation and appoint one of their member Bishops to serve as the WCEA President."
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