St. Pius X High School (Albuquerque)

History

St. Pius X High School was founded in 1956 with 116 freshmen composing its first class. St. Pius was initially housed at St Charles Elementary School until the completion of a new campus in the Northeast Heights in the fall of 1959. In 1986, the Archdiocese of Santa Fe announced that St. Pius X would be moved to Albuquerque's west side to occupy the site of the University of Albuquerque, scheduled to close that year. The former St. Pius campus was razed to make way for a mixed-use development called The Commons; however, this project fell apart and the land remained vacant until the ABQ Uptown shopping mall was built there in 2005–06.

Upon moving to the west side campus, St. Pius renovated the existing buildings of Assumption Hall and St. Francis Hall and completed construction of a new science building, gymnasium, and St. Basil Hall (2000). The new 40-acre campus welcomed its first students in the fall of 1988.

Mascot

The name is a contraction of Pope Pius X's name Giuseppe Sarto. It is used because the patron saint embodied the characteristics of charity, good humor, fair play, and faithfulness—the same high ideals that St. Pius X High School hopes to instill in its students. In Italian, Sarto is translated as “Tailor.” Thus a Sartan is one who tailors his life after these ideals and actively supports his motto: “To restore all things in Christ.”

Student body statistics

St. Pius High School has a student body that slightly mirrors the ethnic makeup of Albuquerque. 55% Hispanic, 40% White, 5% Native American, 1% African American and 3% Asian. Though the vast majority of students at St. Pius X are Catholic, the school is open to students of all faiths, offering a college prep education, along with total, supportive Christian spiritual formation. Tuition has risen steadily over the years to reach around $13,000 for the 2020–2021 school year. St. Pius X is Albuquerque's only Roman Catholic high school, and one of the few private institutions.

Notable alumni

• Mike Mullane, NASA astronaut, veteran of three Space Shuttle missions.
• Dennis Jett, former U.S. Ambassador to Peru
• John Cameron Mitchell, actor and filmmaker (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Shortbus, Rabbit Hole).
• Jesse Tyler Ferguson, actor (Modern Family).
• Mike Judge, Director, best known as the creator and star of the popular animated television series Beavis and Butt-Head (1993–1997, 2011), King of the Hill (1997–2010), and The Goode Family (2009).
• Tim Keller, former New Mexico state auditor and current mayor of Albuquerque.
• Cisco McSorley, Democratic member of the New Mexico Senate, representing the 16th District since 1997.
• Jacob Candelaria, Democratic member of the New Mexico Senate, representing the 26th District since 2012.
• Patrick D. Gallagher, physicist, former director of the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and current chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh.
• Tommy Sheppard, general manager of the NBA's Washington Wizards

State championships

The Sartans compete in District 2/5 Class AAAA in New Mexico

Boys

• Football (3) - 1973, 1999, 2016
• Soccer (18) - 1988, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2023
• Basketball (7) - 1980, 1982, 1985, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2013
• Golf (2) - 1981, 2016
• Baseball (13) - 1964, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1988, 2003, 2013, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023
• Tennis (1) - 2002

Girls

• Volleyball (8) - 1994, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2023, 2024
• Soccer (10) - 1999, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2020, 2021
• Basketball (4) - 1979, 2006, 2008, 2009
• Softball (1) - 1986
• Golf (1) - 2018
• Tennis (1) - 1999
• Cheerleading (1) - 2001

Academic Decathlon

The Saint Pius X Academic Decathlon team competes in USAD (United States Academic Decathlon). At the National Level the team frequently competes in Division III since divisions began in 1999.

• State Championships (24) - 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
• National Championship: Small School Division (1) - 1999
• Top Three Placement at National Finals: Small School Division (5) - 1999, 2001, 2021, 2022, 2023
• National Championship of Super Quiz in Division: (2) - 1998, 2025
• Top Three Placement at National Super Quiz: (7) - 1998, 1999, 2001, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2025
• National Gold Medal, Speech Showcase (4) - 1999, 2001, 2004, 2010

References

References

1. "Explore St. Pius X High School in Albuquerque, NM".
2. NCA-CASI. "NCA-Council on Accreditation and School Improvement".
3. "SPX History". Saint Pius X High School.
4. (August 22, 1989). "Commons Developer Files Suit". Albuquerque Journal.
5. "Alumni in Action!".
6. (September 8, 2017). "Past businessman Tim Keller touts government experience". Albuquerque Journal.
7. "AllGov - Officials".
8. Whitcomb, John. (December 2, 1973). "Horsemen lose bid for 2nd AAA title". [[The Santa Fe New Mexican]].
9. Herrera, Pete. (December 5, 1999). "Seeking AAA champs? X marks the spot". [[The Santa Fe New Mexican]].
10. Newell, Patrick. (December 4, 2016). "Ortiz makes it happen for St. Pius". [[Albuquerque Journal]].
11. Barron, James. (March 12, 2006). "Sartans best District 5AAAA rival, end title drought". [[The Santa Fe New Mexican]].