St. Xavier's Higher Secondary School, Palayamkottai

St. Xavier's Higher Secondary School is a private Catholic secondary school located in Palayamkottai in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, India. The school was established by the Jesuits in 1880 and provides co-educational schooling for students from standards VI through XII. The school includes a hostel for 300 boys and has an active alumni association, founded in 1990.

Chronology

 * 1898: recognition of school by the Director of Public Instructions
 * 1899: boarding house established, that became a hostel with 10 boys in 1903
 * 1910: Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) scheme adopted
 * 1917: new high school building inaugurated
 * 1922: newly built hostel inaugurated, today's Sacred Heart Hostel
 * 1935: Scouting movement introduced
 * 1940s: introduction of school magazine, literary and debating societies, Hindi in curriculum, National Cadet Corps
 * 1950s: lunch for needy students; co-operative and credit union for teachers; engineering course; described as "glory years"; former teacher John P. Leonard SJ consecrated archbishop of Madurai; teacher Rajarethinam A. Sundaram consecrated bishop of Tanjore; graduate Peter Fernando would later become archbishop of Madurai; Our Lady of the Assumption church on campus consecrated in 1959
 * 1980s: Centenary Block built; students secured first and second ranks in SSLC exam (1982); cultural week initiated
 * 1990s: new outreach programs for underprivileged, rural, and refugee students (Loyola Study Centre, LASAC movement, STAAR charitable association run by students); modern biology lab; computer education from standard VI through XII
 * 2000: Arrupe administrative block built; Fr. Y.S Yagoo SJ introduced more extracurricular activities and state level tournaments in football and hockey, receiving the Dr. Radhakrishnan award in 2010.
 * 2011: entrance enhanced with gardens and wider roads

Activities
A thorough tour of the campus is provided online. School activities include: Consumer Club, Eco Club, Arts & Crafts, Leveil Reading Club, Road Safety Patrol, Ignatian Band, Veeramamunivar Tamil Literary Association, Verdier Science Club, Arrupe Dispensary, and Arrupe Inter-Religious Centre. The boys have won state championships in hockey, volleyball, football, and in individual events in swimming, athletics, and Silambam (second place).