St Francis Xavier’s School was founded in 1885 by three Sisters of St Joseph. These three Sisters, filled with the spirit of their founder, Mary MacKillop, began their service in Narrabri by starting the first Catholic school with an enrolment of 35 students. In 1889, the Sisters of Mercy established a community in Narrabri and took over the teaching in the school which had grown to approximately 100 students. At the time, the convent was a weatherboard structure that was also used as the school. As the number of pupils increased, a block of land opposite the convent was purchased and a new school was opened in 1897.

A new convent for the sisters was built in 1927, which still stands next to our present school and is proudly seen by the community as a fine architectural contribution to the town. The Sisters of Mercy remained at St Francis Xavier’s for 81 years. In 1970, the Sisters of St Joseph returned to Narrabri and in 1975 the present school was erected. In 2001 three extra classrooms were built and the administration and staffroom were extended. The Sisters remained until December 2001 after which, the first lay Principal was appointed to the school. In 2011, with funding provided by the BER Program, a new library and large covered learning area were built and renovations were made to existing buildings.

St Francis Xavier’s School currently has an enrolment of 275 students.