History

An Italian missionary society, named Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions or PIME, began its work in British India by sending four Catholic priests to India in April 1855. Rev Fr Ambrogio Galbiati who had arrived in Duar area in 1919, came to Damanpur in 1929 to carry out evangelical work and founded Damanpur Mission in 1935.

Since he understood that if the mission has to take deeper roots, establishment of an educational institute would be a necessary work, he opened one "English Middle School" in Damanpur with 120 students in 1936. It was renamed “St Joseph’s High School” in 1949 when it received the permission to add IX & X standards.

In 1885, the British completed a railway running all the way from Calcutta to Siliguri. Since the railways provided easy transportation, important tea estates began to be established in the areas of Duar. More and more immigrants arrived from Chota Nagpur. These tea plantation workers were mostly Oraon, Munda, Khol and Santhal. They were strong, simple, humble and straight forward migrant people. The plantation owners had provided them with decent pay, small dwellings, medical care, grazing land for their animals and right to purchase their own land but no facility for education. PIME missionaries established St Joseph’s School with the objectives to educate them properly, to improve their socio-economic status, and to inculcate positive changes in their behaviour and conduct.

The school continued to attract students from North Bengal. It received the Provisional Recognition as a High School in Apr 1958 for 2 years. The following year in 1959 the first batch, which had joined in the yr 1949, appeared for School Final Exam. The school received the final recognition and approval by Govt authority in 1960. School uniform of khakhi trousers and blue shirt was introduced in 1966.

The school shifted to the present location near Alipurduar railway junction in July 1968. First batch from the new location passed School Final in the yr 1969.In the year 1969, under the directive of Govt of India, PIME Missionaries handed over the reigns of school to Indian Dioceseans priests. The school was elevated to the status of Higher Secondary school in yr 2006. It has come under Sarv Shiksha Abhiyaan in yr 2013.