In 1919 Reverend Monsignor Ottavio Silvestre bought the land where the parish St. Joseph Patron and the school now stand. There was nothing there at the time. In 1921 he started to build the church St. Joseph Patron of the Universal Church and then the school. By September of that same year students started to attend the school. The school was named after the parish. Everything was completed in 1922. Silvestre had come from Italy and stayed there for 50 years. Many of the items in the church were brought over from Italy. The neighborhood around the school and church was Italian. Neighboring areas were mostly German. The school was very active for many years. Six hundred students were enrolled. There were two classes for each grade. Classes were needed in the morning and afternoon to deal with the many students. In 1975 the Dioceses of Brooklyn faced a problem, declining enrollment. The dioceses decided to join schools and create a cluster. St. Barbara's and St. Leonard's were two neighboring schools that were closed. Their students were brought over to St. Joseph's. The school was renamed St. Frances Cabrini after Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Patron of Immigrants. She was born in Italy and became the first American citizen to be canonized by the Roman Catholic Church. The school's name has now been changed to St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Academy
Students
In each class the number of students ranges from 25 to 30, the biggest currently at 36. The teacher to student ratio is approximately 1:27. The neighborhood is mostly Hispanic so most of the students, around 90 percent are Hispanic. Most of the remaining student body consists of African American, Asian, or Caucasian students. However, there are at least one-two people in all classes that come from races not white, African, or Hispanic. In the seventh and eighth grades, students monitor the pre-K to the sixth grade students, helping teachers out at breakfast, lunch, and recess. With this program students gain a sense of responsibility and leadership. An after-school program is offered five days a week, through 6 p.m., to help working parents. The program offers more after school homework, games, and athletics. Other extra-curricular activities include: Yearbook Committee, Mary's Club, Altar Servers, Music, and Choir.
