The first St Joseph’s School, Glen Innes was opened on the 21st January, 1884, by the Catholic Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart. The original enrolment was approximately 30 students. Today St Joseph’s School is a primary co-educational Catholic school with an enrolment of about 200 students from Kindergarten to Year 6. 

The school is situated in Church and Meade Streets, close to the central business district of Glen Innes. The spacious grounds, which also contain the Catholic Church, Parish Hall and Presbytery allow for a variety of activities and freedom of movement for all. The school has solid brick buildings and all classrooms have been recently upgraded. All Key Learning Areas are well catered for in terms of space, resources and staffing. Almost all students are from English speaking backgrounds. The majority come from the town area with the remainder from outlying properties and villages, travelling to school by bus.

The first school was initially for day pupils, although boarding facilities were provided soon after. The original school was a wooden building erected next to the first Church. When the new Church (the existing one) was built in 1909, the school moved into the old Church building. 

Over the years other buildings were added as the population of Glen Innes increased and more specifically, numbers at St Joseph’s School. A two-storey block was completed in 1926 and an Infants’ building was erected in 1960. 

The 1960’s brought many changes to education in New South Wales. The first lay teachers were employed during the 1960’s. The Wyndham Scheme meant a restructuring of educational practices employed in the schools, especially in secondary areas. In order to cater for a wider curriculum a Science Block was added in 1965. This was to be the forerunner in the evolution of a separate Secondary School – St Joseph’s College, which opened in 1969. The College was extended in 1974 when a Craft/Woodwork room was built.

The boarding school, which was such an integral part of St Joseph’s School, closed in 1978. 

In 1979 it was decided to expand the facilities of both St Joseph’s College and St Joseph’s Primary School with the erection of a new Science Block within the College grounds and the remodelling of the old Science Block to provide a new Kindergarten room, which opened in 1980. In 1990 an Art Room was added to the complex and in 1997 extensions were completed to the Technics building.

In 1988, the college and primary school again amalgamated to form a school from Kindergarten to Year Ten. At the end of 2001, the secondary department closed. The Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart maintained their presence in the school from 1884 to 1995, and from 2006 to 2010.

As a co-educational primary Catholic educator, St Joseph’s School, Glen Innes has a strong focus on the achievement of personal best. The curriculum focuses on creating 21st century learners, able to use the capabilities – knowledge, skills, behaviours and dispositions – which they require to thrive in the world.

The current composition of the staff is varied in terms of both age and experience.