The increase in Indiana's Catholic population that triggered the splitting of the Indianapolis diocese in 1944 also caused an increase in the need for Catholic schools. It was clear that one high school would not be sufficient to provide for Indianapolis' massively expanding Catholic population. To this end, the Archbishop of Indianapolis, Paul Clarence Schulte, ordered the construction of three new Catholic high schools in the city. The first of these, Bishop Chatard, would serve the north side of Indianapolis. The two other new schools, Roncalli High School and Cardinal Ritter High School, would serve the south and west sides of Indianapolis respectively. Scecina would continue to serve the east side of the city. Ground was broken for the first of the schools, Bishop Chatard, in the fall of 1960 on diocese property at the corner of Crittenden and Kessler Avenues. Construction of the school and an adjacent convent was completed in less than a year, and the first students were admitted in September 1961. Each year a class of students was added to the school, and the first graduating class was the class of 1964-65. Over the years, many improvements were made to the school facility as the number of students rose. Initially, classes were taught almost entirely by priests from the Archdiocese of Indianapolis and Benedictine Sisters of Beech Grove. Many sisters were housed in the convent on-site, but their numbers declined to the point that in the 1970s, their convent was converted to an annex of the school. The annex has served as classroom, office and storage space for thirty years, and was recently rededicated to the Sisters as the St. Benedict Center. By 1997, the school was showing its age. Paint was peeling, windows and roofs were leaky, and facilities sorely needed an upgrade. To remedy the situation and remodel the 35-year-old building, school administrators embarked on a $2 million capital campaign to pay for new windows, a new roof, electrical improvements, and other needed renovations. These were undertaken over the summer, and when students arrived to begin the 1997-1998 school year, they were in what was virtually a whole new building. In 1999, improvements continued with the opening of the new fine arts addition. A new band room, art studio, and library were added, as were six new classrooms and an elevator to make the building handicap-accessible. This was paid for by a $1.5 million building drive made possible by alumni donations. In the summer of 2005, and completed over the 2007-08 school year, a campaign involved the construction of an additional elevator to allow better access to classrooms for handicapped students and a remodeling of the cafeteria and several hallways. A new auxiliary gymnasium was paid for by alumni donations and a slight tuition increase. In 2011, President Bill Sahm announced the “Golden Opportunities Campaign,” to address several issues including the creation of a tuition assistance endowment and a teacher compensation endowment. The Campaign also addressed improvements to the academic environment including the addition of robust wireless network throughout the two buildings, new servers and expanded student and teacher access to 21st century computers in the classrooms and labs. The Campaign also addressed the needs of the athletic community with the addition of a competition track and fields including a new turf field and all-weather track with bleacher seating for 900, stadium lighting and a concession/restroom facility, as well as a turf baseball field and a one-mile walk/run trail.
Academics
Bishop Chatard has been accredited by AdvancED or its predecessors since April 2004.
Demographics
The demographic breakdown of the 691 students enrolled in 2015-2016 was:
Chatard competes annually in the Brain Game, a quiz bowl program broadcast on local television. There are many fine arts programs, such as marching band, concert band, pep band, concert choir, show choir, and the thespian society.
