Is St. Louis Priory School a Catholic high school?

Yes. St. Louis Priory School is a Catholic high school in the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

What is St. Louis Priory School’s Compass Score?

94 out of 100 (grade A). It combines faith (75%) and academics (25%), each rated from official sources.

Is St. Louis Priory School Compass Recommended?

Yes. St. Louis Priory School meets the Compass Recommended standard for Catholic identity and academics.

Catholic high school

St. Louis Priory School

LocationSaint Louis, MO
Type and sizeIndependent Catholic school · Grades 7–12 · 299 students

All-male

Official website Recommended badge

Saint Louis Priory School is a Benedictine Catholic school for boys on the 150-acre campus of Saint Louis Abbey in West St. Louis County, Missouri. The whole school gathers for Holy Mass each Friday, and the school has a Chaplaincy with a monk on its team. Theology is required in every high school year, and juniors and seniors must complete at least 40 hours of community service each year.

Catholic churches nearby

CampusCatholic church (numbered below)Open a street map ›

Saint Louis Abbey Church — 0.1 mi · 530 South Mason Road, Saint Louis
St. Monica's Catholic Church — 2.3 mi · 12140 Olive Boulevard, Creve Coeur

Within 3 miles, as mapped by OpenStreetMap contributors. The map may be incomplete. Confirm with the parish or diocese.

Faith scorecard

Each line is one thing we looked for. A check means yes, a half means partly, a dash means no. “Not enough information” means official sources did not say.

N/A

Sacramental life

Not enough information: official sources cover less than 60% of this area.

Yes:
All-school or class Masses during the school yearWeekly (The whole school gathers for Holy Mass every Friday. The school's Mass is weekly; the pages describe it as weekly Mass for the whole community.)
Sources (3)
1. The Power of Prayer | Saint Louis Priory Schoolpriory.org/spiritual-life/the-power-of-prayer · verified Oct. 13, 2026
  “every Friday we gather for Holy Mass, which is the greatest prayer humans possess.”
  Holy Mass is celebrated every Friday with the school gathered.
2. Living the Faith | Saint Louis Priory Schoolpriory.org/spiritual-life/living-the-faith · verified Oct. 13, 2026
  “The entire Priory community gathers three times each week for student council, assembly and mass.”
  The entire school community gathers for Mass as part of the weekly schedule.
3. Life at Priory | Saint Louis Priory Schoolpriory.org/campus-life/life-at-priory · verified Oct. 13, 2026
  “In addition to the weekly Mass and prayer assemblies, Priory provides for each student's spiritual needs through retreats and other special programming.”
  The school holds weekly Mass.
Not enough information:
Daily Mass available to students on campusNot enough information: not found in official sources.
Not enough information:
Confession offered to students during the school yearNot enough information: not found in official sources.
Not enough information:
Eucharistic adoration offeredNot enough information: not found in official sources.
Yes:
Priest chaplain serving the schoolYes (The school's pages say the monks of Saint Louis Abbey live on campus and are active in all aspects of school life. A named monk, Father Benedict Allin, O.S.B., is on the Chaplaincy Team. A priest community that serves students day to day is recorded as yes.)
Sources (2)
1. Saint Louis Abbey | Saint Louis Priory Schoolpriory.org/about/saint-louis-abbey · verified Oct. 13, 2026
  “The monks are active in all aspects of school life, both in and outside of the classroom”
  The monks are active in all aspects of school life.
2. Faculty & Staff Directory | Saint Louis Priory Schoolpriory.org/about/meet-priorys-faculty-and-staff · verified Oct. 13, 2026
  “The monks live here, and the characteristics associated with home”
  The monks live on the school campus.
  “Father Benedict Allin, O.S.B. Monk, Chaplaincy Team School: 314.434.3690 ext. 375”
  Father Benedict Allin, O.S.B. is a monk on the Chaplaincy Team, with a school phone extension.

Theology and curriculum

100 of 100 points on what we could document.

Yes:
Years of theology or religion requiredFour years (Theology is a required program that spans every year of a student's education. The course guide lists Theology in Forms III through VI (grades 9 to 12). Each year is one course; four years.)
Sources (1)
1. 2026-2027 Course Guide, Theology Departmentresources.finalsite.net/images/v1782914754/prioryorg/s2yy48jmif6ckr2kznoi/CourseGuide2026-27.pdf · verified Oct. 13, 2026
  “Priory’s Theology curriculum is a required program that spans every year of a student’s education”
  Theology is a required program in every year of the student's education.
Not enough information:
Theology courses follow the USCCB Curriculum FrameworkNot enough information: not found in official sources.
Yes:
Philosophy, apologetics, or ethics course offeredYes (Philosophy and Film is an elective that covers philosophy, including ethics. The Apologetics course on Catholic teaching is also in the course guide.)
Sources (1)
1. 2026-2027 Course Guide, Philosophy and Filmresources.finalsite.net/images/v1782914754/prioryorg/s2yy48jmif6ckr2kznoi/CourseGuide2026-27.pdf · verified Oct. 13, 2026
  “Philosophy and Film will introduce students to important issues in philosophy as well as”
  Philosophy and Film is an elective course that covers philosophy and ethics.
  “APOLOGETICS: CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES FACING CATHOLICS TODAY”
  An Apologetics course is listed in the theology offerings.
Yes:
Faith integrated across the curriculum (stated in the program of studies or mission)Yes (The school says students live the Christian faith by exploring all disciplines in light of God. This is stated on the Living the Faith page and is consistent with the course guide's philosophy of education.)
Sources (1)
1. Living the Faith | Saint Louis Priory Schoolpriory.org/spiritual-life/living-the-faith · verified Oct. 13, 2026
  “exploring all disciplines in light of God and as reflections of the divine”
  Students explore all disciplines in light of God.

Campus culture

78 of 100 points on what we could document.

Partly:
RetreatsRetreats for some grades (Overnight retreats are held for grades 7 and 9 at Camp Ondessonk and for juniors and seniors through the Chaplaincy Office. This is recorded as some grades.)
Sources (1)
1. Retreats | Saint Louis Priory Schoolpriory.org/spiritual-life/retreats · verified Oct. 13, 2026
  “the 7th and 9th grades make overnight retreats to Camp Ondessonk in Ozark, Illinois.”
  Seventh and ninth grades make overnight retreats to Camp Ondessonk.
  “The juniors and seniors prepare for leadership and their next step after graduation with overnight retreats organized by the school’s Chaplaincy Office.”
  Juniors and seniors have overnight retreats organized by the Chaplaincy Office.
Partly:
Campus ministry staffOne (Only one Chaplaincy Team member is named on the directory pages that could be read. This may be an undercount.)
Sources (1)
1. Faculty & Staff Directory | Saint Louis Priory Schoolpriory.org/about/meet-priorys-faculty-and-staff · verified Oct. 13, 2026
  “Father Benedict Allin, O.S.B. Monk, Chaplaincy Team School: 314.434.3690 ext. 375”
  Father Benedict Allin, O.S.B. is a monk on the Chaplaincy Team, with a school phone extension.
Yes:
Faith-based student groups or clubsTwo or more (Listed Catholic student groups include the faith-based Sodality, the Spiritual Student Council, and Tutoria, a student scripture-reading program.)
Sources (3)
1. Priory Clubs and Activities | Saint Louis Priory Schoolpriory.org/campus-life/priory-clubs-and-activities · verified Oct. 13, 2026
  “From the nation's only high school Medieval Arts guild, to robotics, to the faith-based Sodality”
  The Sodality is a faith-based student club.
2. Spiritual Clubs and Activities | Saint Louis Priory Schoolpriory.org/spiritual-life/spiritual-clubs-and-activities · verified Oct. 13, 2026
  “as leaders of the Spiritual Student Council; or being involved in one of the many religious and service clubs.”
  Students can serve as leaders of the Spiritual Student Council and in religious clubs.
3. What is Tutoria? | Saint Louis Priory Schoolpriory.org/spiritual-life/what-is-tutoria · verified Oct. 13, 2026
  “The Tutoria program is a distinctive and particular opportunity for students to engage the Scriptures through the Benedictine practice of Lectio Divina”
  Tutoria is a program in which students engage Scripture through Lectio Divina.
Yes:
Daily prayer and liturgical life built into the school dayYes (Classes often begin with a prayer, and the whole school gathers for a prayer assembly each Wednesday.)
Sources (1)
1. The Power of Prayer | Saint Louis Priory Schoolpriory.org/spiritual-life/the-power-of-prayer · verified Oct. 13, 2026
  “Classes often begin with a prayer, every Wednesday we gather as an entire school for a prayer assembly”
  Classes begin with prayer, and the school gathers for a prayer assembly each Wednesday.

Service and Catholic social teaching

100 of 100 points on what we could document.

Yes:
Required service hours40 or more hours over four years (Each junior and senior must complete at least 40 hours of community service per year, which is at least 80 hours over high school.)
Sources (1)
1. Commitment to Service | Saint Louis Priory Schoolpriory.org/spiritual-life/commitment-to-service · verified Oct. 13, 2026
  “Each junior and senior is required to fulfill at least 40 hours of community service per year”
  Juniors and seniors must each complete at least 40 hours of community service per year.
Yes:
Catholic social teaching taught in theology coursesYes (The theology curriculum includes electives and senior seminars that apply Catholic Social Teaching, and the course guide lists a Catholic Social Teaching unit in Fundamentals of Catholic Moral Theology.)
Sources (1)
1. 2026-2027 Course Guide, Theology Departmentresources.finalsite.net/images/v1782914754/prioryorg/s2yy48jmif6ckr2kznoi/CourseGuide2026-27.pdf · verified Oct. 13, 2026
  “The curriculum culminates in specialized senior seminars and electives that invite students to apply Catholic Social Teaching and scriptural themes to contemporary issues”
  Senior seminars and electives apply Catholic Social Teaching.
Yes:
Pro-life engagement (club, March for Life, or similar)Yes (The official clubs list includes a Respect Life Club.)
Sources (1)
1. Priory Clubs and Activities | Saint Louis Priory Schoolpriory.org/campus-life/priory-clubs-and-activities · verified Oct. 13, 2026
  “Respect Life Club”
  The school's clubs list includes a Respect Life Club.
Yes:
Justice and solidarity programs (immersions, service trips, justice clubs)Yes (Students serve at St. Augustine's Soup Kitchen and take part in food drives and fundraisers.)
Sources (1)
1. Commitment to Service | Saint Louis Priory Schoolpriory.org/spiritual-life/commitment-to-service · verified Oct. 13, 2026
  “Students are involved in serving at St. Augustine’s Soup Kitchen, participating in fundraisers and food drives”
  Students serve at a soup kitchen and take part in food drives.

Grades come from the documented indicators under the published rubric. “Not enough information” does not mean the school lacks it.

Strengths

The whole school gathers for Holy Mass every Friday, and monks live on campus and take part in school life.
Sources (3)
1. The Power of Prayer | Saint Louis Priory Schoolpriory.org/spiritual-life/the-power-of-prayer · verified Oct. 13, 2026
  “every Friday we gather for Holy Mass, which is the greatest prayer humans possess.”
  Holy Mass is celebrated every Friday with the school gathered.
2. Saint Louis Abbey | Saint Louis Priory Schoolpriory.org/about/saint-louis-abbey · verified Oct. 13, 2026
  “The monks are active in all aspects of school life, both in and outside of the classroom”
  The monks are active in all aspects of school life.
3. Faculty & Staff Directory | Saint Louis Priory Schoolpriory.org/about/meet-priorys-faculty-and-staff · verified Oct. 13, 2026
  “The monks live here, and the characteristics associated with home”
  The monks live on the school campus.
Theology is required in every high school year, and Catholic Social Teaching is taught in the senior theology courses.
Sources (1)
1. 2026-2027 Course Guide, Theology Departmentresources.finalsite.net/images/v1782914754/prioryorg/s2yy48jmif6ckr2kznoi/CourseGuide2026-27.pdf · verified Oct. 13, 2026
  “Priory’s Theology curriculum is a required program that spans every year of a student’s education”
  Theology is a required program in every year of the student's education.
  “The curriculum culminates in specialized senior seminars and electives that invite students to apply Catholic Social Teaching and scriptural themes to contemporary issues”
  Senior seminars and electives apply Catholic Social Teaching.
Juniors and seniors must complete at least 40 hours of community service each year, and the school lists a Respect Life Club.
Sources (2)
1. Commitment to Service | Saint Louis Priory Schoolpriory.org/spiritual-life/commitment-to-service · verified Oct. 13, 2026
  “Each junior and senior is required to fulfill at least 40 hours of community service per year”
  Juniors and seniors must each complete at least 40 hours of community service per year.
2. Priory Clubs and Activities | Saint Louis Priory Schoolpriory.org/campus-life/priory-clubs-and-activities · verified Oct. 13, 2026
  “Respect Life Club”
  The school's clubs list includes a Respect Life Club.

Concerns

Overnight retreats are listed for grades 7, 9, 11 and 12.
Sources (1)
1. Retreats | Saint Louis Priory Schoolpriory.org/spiritual-life/retreats · verified Oct. 13, 2026
  “the 7th and 9th grades make overnight retreats to Camp Ondessonk in Ozark, Illinois.”
  Seventh and ninth grades make overnight retreats to Camp Ondessonk.
  “The juniors and seniors prepare for leadership and their next step after graduation with overnight retreats organized by the school’s Chaplaincy Office.”
  Juniors and seniors have overnight retreats organized by the Chaplaincy Office.

Know something we missed? Suggest a correction.

Campus ministry home

Chaplaincy and the Abbey Church, Saint Louis Priory School

Address: Campus on Mason Road, West St. Louis County, MO (street address not published on the school's website)
Location: On campus
Facilities: chapel

Source: priory.org, verified Oct. 13, 2026, priory.org, verified Oct. 13, 2026

Catholic clubs and student life

9 groups and regular activities · 2 on campus, 2 off campus, 5 location not published

Retreats 2

Overnight retreats at Camp OndessonkOff campus
Overnight retreats for seventh and ninth graders at Camp Ondessonk in Ozark, Illinois.
priory.org
Junior and senior overnight retreats
Overnight retreats for juniors and seniors organized by the Chaplaincy Office.
priory.org

Service 1

Soup kitchen serviceOff campus
Students serve at St. Augustine's Soup Kitchen, and juniors and seniors complete at least 40 hours of service per year.
priory.org, priory.org

Liturgy and prayer 2

Weekly Holy MassOn campus
Fridays
The whole school gathers for Holy Mass each Friday.
priory.org, priory.org
Chaplaincy liturgies and prayer assembliesOn campus
Wednesday prayer assemblies
Students serve as readers, servers and musicians in the liturgies, and speak at prayer assemblies.
priory.org, priory.org

Faith formation 3

Sodality
A faith-based student club that hosts its own group retreats.
priory.org, priory.org
Spiritual Student Council
A student council within the Chaplaincy program.
priory.org
Tutoria
A weekly program in which older students read Scripture with younger students using Lectio Divina.
priory.org, priory.org

Clubs and groups 1

Respect Life Club
A student club listed on the school's clubs page.
priory.org

Everything listed is published by the school, its campus ministry, or the parish. Ask the campus minister what’s happening this semester.

Campus ministry

Chaplaincy (Saint Louis Priory School)

Sources (4)

Spiritual Clubs and Activities | Saint Louis Priory Schoolpriory.org/spiritual-life/spiritual-clubs-and-activities · verified Oct. 13, 2026
“as leaders of the Spiritual Student Council; or being involved in one of the many religious and service clubs.”
Students can serve as leaders of the Spiritual Student Council and in religious clubs.
School Leadership | Saint Louis Priory Schoolpriory.org/about/school-leadership · verified Oct. 13, 2026
“Mr. Mike Nickolai Associate Headmaster, English Teacher, Chaplaincy”
Mike Nickolai is Associate Headmaster and oversees Chaplaincy.
The Abbey Church | Saint Louis Priory Schoolpriory.org/spiritual-life/the-abbey-church · verified Oct. 13, 2026
“The distinctive and stunning Abbey Church acts as a beacon and landmark, both the physical and spiritual center of our campus.”
The Abbey Church is the spiritual center of the campus.
Saint Louis Abbey | Saint Louis Priory Schoolpriory.org/about/saint-louis-abbey · verified Oct. 13, 2026
“It is home to the Monastery and Church of Saint Louis Abbey, to Saint Louis Priory School and to Saint Anselm Parish”
The campus is home to the Abbey, the school and Saint Anselm Parish.

Reach out

Contact details for Father Benedict Allin, O.S.B. (Monk, Chaplaincy Team) and 3 official social and news channels are available to signed-in users.

We keep campus ministers’ emails behind sign-in to protect them from spam.

My rating and notes

Academic Excellence

99 of 100

From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

Graduates going to four-year colleges 75% of score100%
Students per teacher 25% of score8.4 to 1

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed. Federal data on private high schools is limited to these two measures.

Source: NCES Private School Survey (2023–24 school year)

School facts

Type	Independent Catholic school
Diocese	Archdiocese of St. Louis, MO
Grades	7–12
Students (all grades)	299
Students in grades 9–12	193
Coed or single-sex	All-male
Student–teacher ratio	8.4 to 1
Graduates going to 4-year colleges	100%
Setting	Suburb

Source: NCES Private School Survey 23-24 public-use file (school year 2023–24). The college-going rate and student–teacher ratio feed Academic Excellence; nothing here changes the faith grades.

Local Church

Archdiocese of St. Louis

The Most Reverend Mitchell T. Rozanski, Archbishop of St. Louis

Formal address: “Your Excellency”

Source: archstl.org, verified Oct. 7, 2026.

About this school’s data

NCES school ID 00751975
500 S Mason Rd, Saint Louis, MO 63141
(314) 434-3690
Report an error or a newer source
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Questions families ask

Is St. Louis Priory School a Catholic high school?: Yes. St. Louis Priory School is a Catholic high school in the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
What is St. Louis Priory School’s Compass Score?: 94 out of 100 (grade A). It combines faith (75%) and academics (25%), each rated from official sources.
Is St. Louis Priory School Compass Recommended?: Yes. St. Louis Priory School meets the Compass Recommended standard for Catholic identity and academics.

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