Xavier High School is a private Catholic secondary school in Appleton, Wisconsin, in the Diocese of Green Bay. It was opened in 1959 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (Christian Brothers) and the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity (Manitowoc Franciscans). The school was named in honor of St. Francis Xavier, the patron saint of the Green Bay Diocese. Xavier has been ranked one of the top 50 Catholic high schools in the United States, and one of the top private schools in Wisconsin.
Contents
History
Xavier High School was founded in 1959, and originally staffed by Franciscan Sisters and Christian Brothers.
Mike Mauthe was the principal of Xavier High School from 2014 to 2024. William Welch became the school's new principal starting in 2025.
2024 firings
In November 2024, Xavier principal Mike Mauthe was fired in the wake of a complaint to the Diocese Office of Safe Environment about a failure to comply with the Diocese of Green Bay's “Our Promise to Protect” policy. (A report was filed with the Appleton Police Department, as required by the state's mandatory reporting laws.) As a result of the investigation into Mauthe, John Ravizza, superintendent of the Diocese' St. Francis Xavier Catholic School System of which the high school is a part, was terminated "because of a failure to meet reporting requirements".
Athletics
State Championships
Football: 1962, 1963
Boys Basketball: 1963, 1995, 2017
Boys Baseball: 1979
Boys Track & Field: 1984, 1985
Boys Golf: 2001, 2008
Boys Soccer: 2003, 2004, 2006, 2012
Boys Track: 2017
Powerlifting: 2018
Girls Basketball: 1978
Girls Track & Field: 1992
Girls Soccer: 2004, 2005, 2008, 2025
Girls Hockey: 2019, 2020
Girls Tennis: 2020
Girls Cross Country: 2022, 2023
Volleyball: 2022, 2023
Athletic conference affiliation history
Fox Valley Catholic Conference (1961-1971)
Fox Valley Christian Conference (1971-1999)
Valley 8 Conference (1999-2007)
Eastern Valley Conference (2007-2015)
Bay Conference (2015–present)
Notable alumni
Rocky Bleier (1964) - former NFL running back
J. P. Hayes (1983) - PGA Tour professional golfer
Mike Heideman (1966) - college basketball head coach
Kristine Jarinovska (1997) - Secretary of State, Latvia
Mee Moua (1988) - Minnesota state senator, first Hmong-American politician
Greta Van Susteren (1972) - TV journalist