Where: 1000 Ululani St., Hilo

Grade span: preschool to grade 12

Enrollment: 383 students enrolled, 432 capacity

Race/ethnicity enrollment: 34 percent white; 33 percent other; 24 percent Hawaiian/part-Hawaiian; 9 percent Filipino.

Free and reduced-price lunch eligible: 3 percent receive free lunch; 3 percent reduced-price lunch.

Special-education students: The school does not have a special-education program, but it accommodates students with learning disabilities.

Computers on campus: 4.5 students per computer. The elementary school has a 25-computer lab, the high school a 20-computer lab and a 20-computer learning center.

Principal: Sister Marion Kikukawa, four years at St. Joseph School.

School nickname: Cardinals

School colors: red and gold

What are you most proud of? "Of our almost 140 years," said Patrick Naughton, development director of St. Joseph School. "St. Joseph School has provided Big Island families with an educational setting in which the religious and spiritual aspects of life are integrated with academic, athletic, social, emotional and psychological aspects. It is more than an institutional school; it is a family, an 'ohana."

What is your biggest challenge? "We are challenged by the societal and financial implications of providing the best possible educational experience for our students in a safe and inviting setting while keeping Catholic school education affordable to parents," Naughton said.

Special events: country fair held in October, Hilo's Happenings in April, homecoming from Jan. 27 to Feb. 1.

History: The school was founded in 1869 and chartered by King Kamehameha V to serve Native Hawaiians. It is the only Catholic school on the Big Island.

Well-known alumni: Keith Vieira, senior vice president and director of operations for Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Hawai'i and French Polynesia; Marlene Hapai, University of Hawai'i Board of Regents; Herman Lujon, former president of Northern Colorado University; Maj. Gen. (Ret.) John D'Araujo, former director of the Army National Guard Bureau and current director of the Recovery Division of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Web address: http://sjehilo.org

Phone: 808-933-1459

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