St. Raphael the Archangel Catholic School was founded in 1949 by the Archdiocese of Louisville, one year after St. Raphael the Archangel Catholic Church, in response to the rapid expansion of the suburban area along Bardstown Road in Louisville, Kentucky. St. Raphael school was under the direction of the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville, who served St. Raphael School until 1996. The St. Raphael community recently celebrated its 75th anniversary and there is great energy around preserving tradition while looking forward to making improvements for the continued success of the community. St. Raphael serves 430 Preschool-8th grade students and is located in the Upper Highlands of Louisville. Many students at St. Raphael live in the neighborhoods surrounding the school, but overall St. Raphael serves students from 30 zip codes. 

One of the greatest strengths of our school community is a shared commitment to Catholic education between our staff, school parents, and our parish at large. There is a strong tradition of a supportive community fully committed to the success of Catholic education. The St. Raphael school community values long held traditions which include heavy school involvement in the parish summer picnic, the prayer partner program which pairs sixth through eighth grade students with Kindergarten through second students, Grandparents Day, a thriving middle school House system, and a student Honor Code which has been recited daily for more than fifteen years. Enjoyment of these traditions is shared across generations as 25% of our students are children of former graduates and 7% of our students have grandparents who are St. Raphael graduates as well. 

St. Raphael’s faculty follows the Archdiocese of Louisville Curriculum Guide which provides a framework in which to design, implement, and assess key concepts and skills in each grade level. This curriculum challenges students in order to prepare them for the next step in their educational journey and our faculty communicates high expectations for all students. St. Raphael school implements multiple programs and supports in order to encourage, develop, and challenge all students academically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. St. Raphael’s counselor conducts whole group and small group lessons with each grade level at least once a month in order to give students essential strategies for navigating age appropriate social -emotional issues. 

Students participate in a variety of programs that provide academic and social encouragement and support. At St. Raphael, mentoring is incorporated into all academic levels, providing students the opportunity to make social connections with students of other ages while also often receiving academic support. Mentoring opportunities also provide our oldest students with opportunities to learn how to be a good role model for others.  St. Raphael has a full time Learning Coordinator who oversees a peer tutoring program as well as the writing and implementation of Student Accommodation Plans and Student Strategy Plans which provide necessary support for students with official diagnoses or other learning challenges. 

St. Raphael has been the honored recipient of the National Blue Ribbon Award in 1997, 2003, and 2020. St. Raphael’s school community is thriving and remains committed to its core values of Faith, Community, Achievement, and Leadership.