Early years

On June 13, 1828, the Oblate School for Colored Girls opened for its first year at 5 St. Mary's Court in Baltimore's Seton Hill neighborhood, northwest of downtown, near St. Mary's Seminary and College. The seminary was then located on North Paca Street; founded in 1791, it was the first Catholic seminary in the United States.^[2][3] It was established with the mission to teach "children of color to read the Bible". But teaching enslaved children was prohibited by law. ^[4]

The following year in 1829, the school operated from 610 George Street and then 48 Richmond Street (now West Read Street), a few blocks away.^[5] In 1832 tThe school graduated its first class, with ceremonies.

By 1853, the school changed its name from the Oblate School for Colored Girls to the Saint Frances School for Colored Girls, named after St. Frances of Rome (1384–1440). The title was later shortened to the Saint Frances Academy.^[6]

In 1871, the school moved to its current location in inner East Baltimore at 501 East Chase Street. This is now within the Johnston Square neighborhood.

Modern era

In the 20th century, the school focused on higher grades. It started admitting boys in the 1970s.^[7] The school now offers a traditional, co-educational, college-preparatory curriculum for students in grades nine through twelve.

An honors program is available to select students. All students complete a community service component. Independently owned and operated by the Oblates, the school is approved by the Maryland State Department of Education and is accredited by the Commission on Secondary Schools of the regional agency of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

The student population is still predominantly African-American.

Football

In the late 2010s, St. Frances' football program became the subject of controversy in Maryland. After former Gilman School coach Biff Poggi took over as head coach, he began aggressively recruiting talented players from inside and outside Maryland, to a greater degree than other private schools in the state. Within a few seasons, St. Frances became effectively unbeatable by their traditional opponents in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA), regularly defeating them by wide margins.^[10]

Before 2018 those teams told St. Frances they would no longer play them, citing safety concerns as many of St. Frances' recruits were well outside the typical height and weight range for high school players and more in line with college football teams. Some St. Frances supporters believe the opponents' real motives were racial, since there had been no complaints when predominantly white teams such as Gilman had been similarly successful in earlier seasons. The team won the MIAA championship before the season even started, as those opponents who refused to play had to forfeit their games. The school scheduled intrasquad scrimmages, opponents from as far away as Canada, and road trips to the South for the players' benefit.^[10]

Poggi departed the program in July 2021. The St. Frances team continued its winning ways, finishing the following season in the top 5 of MaxPreps' 10 national rankings.^[11]

Basketball

• Men's Basketball (MIAA A Conference Championships): 2008–09, 2009–10, 2012–13, 2015–16, 2018–19.^[12]
• Women's Basketball (IAAM A Conference Championships): 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019-20^[13]