St. Joseph's School, Darjeeling

St. Joseph's School, Darjeeling, popularly called North Point or N.P. (as it serves as a landmark for the North Point locality in Darjeeling), is a private Catholic primary and secondary school for boys located in Darjeeling, West Bengal, India. Originally called St. Joseph's College, the school was founded in the year 1888 and is owned and managed by the Jesuits.

History
St. Joseph's School, Darjeeling was founded by Fr. Henri Depelchin with 25 students on 13 February 1888, at Sunnybank, Darjeeling. It was shifted to its present location in 1892. North Point celebrated its 125th year anniversary on 10 November 2013 which was graced by the presence of the then President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee. ref>

School system
The school is divided into four divisions:
 * Primary DivisionClasses 3 to 5
 * Lower DivisionClasses 6 and 7
 * Upper DivisionClasses 8 to 10
 * Senior DivisionClasses 11 and 12

The Primary division has eight captains, the lower division has eight head boys, the upper division has eight prefects, the senior division has eight beadles.These are the student representatives and leaders of the school from both the boarding and day scholar sections of the school, appointed on leadership, academic, and sportsmanship abilities. Also all the classes in the school have two monitors, one from the boarding section and other one from day scholar section.

The school provides facilities for various games such as cricket, football, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, chess; and also engages in co-curricular activities such as quiz, debate, music and drama. Over the years of its long history, the school has developed a competitive rivalry in Inter-School Tournaments with the other Anglo-Indian schools of Darjeeling and Kalimpong, particularly St. Paul's School, Darjeeling, and St. Augustine's School, Kalimpong.

House system
The school has four houses:


 * 1) Depelchin House (Red)
 * 2) Fallon House (Blue)
 * 3) Laenen House (Yellow)
 * 4) O'Neil House (Green)

Publications
The school has a number of publications, which include the North Point Weekly, the Among Ourselves (monthly), and the North Point Annual (yearly), all compiled and edited by the students' Editorial Board.

School rankings
In 2020, St. Joseph's School, North Point ranked second among boarding schools in Darjeeling and West Bengal and, in 2021, eleventh in India according to the Education-World India School Rankings. The school has consistently been regarded as among the most prestigious boarding schools in India.

Notable alumni

 * Admiral Ronald Lynsdale Pereiraninth Chief of Naval Staff
 * Erick AvariHollywood actor
 * E J AnthonyFounding member of Group Analytic Society and child Psychiatrist
 * Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Devformer King of Nepal
 * Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Devformer King of Nepal
 * Paras Bir Bikram Shah Devformer Crown Prince of Nepal
 * Lawrence Durrellpoet and novelist
 * Michael Ferreiraworld billiard champion
 * William John Harper—Rhodesian politician
 * Jamyang NorbuTibetan activist and author
 * Cardinal Lawrence T. PicachyArchbishop of Calcutta
 * Kasit Piromyaformer Foreign Minister of Thailand
 * Frank Ryanfirst-class cricketer
 * Tsoltim Ngima Shakabpainternational banker, activist, writer and poet
 * Jigme Singye Wangchuckformer King of Bhutan
 * Yeshey Zimbaformer Prime Minister of Bhutan
 * Brian Hayes - Australian KC and co-producer of the movie "Hotel Mumbai"
 * Jeremy Bujakowski - Polish–Indian alpine skier