The Sisters of Charity opened St. Joseph by-the-Sea in September, 1963, to meet the needs of a rapidly growing South Shore community. Each succeeding year saw the school grow in students and faculty. Since the first graduates in 1967, more than 8,000 students have earned their Sea diplomas.

In 1973, the school entered a new phase in its history when a diocesan priest was appointed principal and the school began admitting young men.

In 1982, four new classrooms were added and, in 1983 an 11-acre sports complex was completed. In 1992, an Olympic-size track was built to accommodate a co-ed student body of 1,400 students. In 1995, a new 3,000 square foot Music Wing was completed and dedicated by John Cardinal O’Connor, and in 1996, field seating capacity was expanded to 2,010.

The Msgr. Thomas Gaffney auditorium was dedicated in December 1999. In September of 2001, Sea opened a television studio which features student broadcasts to the student body three times a week. In November 2001, Edward Cardinal Egan dedicated a new 5,000 square foot physical fitness center with the latest equipment.

In September of 2002, we opened our new chemistry lab and in September of 2003 our newly renovated biology and physics labs were available for science classes. Meanwhile, in June of 2003 our main gymnasium was completely refurbished. In June of 2004, Sea became the first Catholic high school in New York City to install Field Turf. Over the summer, our Track and Tennis Courts have undergone complete renovations. In 2006, the Baseball Field and the Softball Field were re-surfaced with Field Turf completing Viking Park and providing additional practice space for all of our teams.

The faculty of sixty-five consists of diocesan priests, Sisters of Charity, Franciscan Sisters, Sisters of the I.H.M. Community, and lay men and women.