St. Pius X High School

The Blessed Pius X High School opened as a co-educational Diocesan School in 1952 serving students from Savannah's Black community. The Society of African Missions donated land for the school on property purchased by Father Ignatius Lissner. The school's name changed to St. Pius X High School in 1955 after the canonization of Pope Pius X in 1954. St. Pius provided a Catholic education that had not previously been available for African-American high school students. Accredited in 1969, St. Pius was closed by the Savannah Diocese shortly afterward as part of its integration plan. The building became the public charter school Savannah Classical Academy in 2013. Notable alumni of St. Pius X include Savannah' first African-American mayor, Floyd Adams, Jr., and U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Clarence Thomas.