Bishop Byrne High School was a private, Roman Catholic high school in Memphis, Tennessee. It was located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Memphis.
Background
Bishop Byrne was established in 1965 to serve students in the South Memphis area. It was named for Bishop Thomas Sebastian Byrne, Bishop of the Nashville Diocese in the early 20th century. Bishop Byrne students came from a large area across Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas. The mascot for the school was the Red Knight. Bishop Byrne was also the alma mater of Archbishop J. Peter Sartain.
Closure
On January 24, 2013 Roman Catholic Bishop J. Terry Steib of the Diocese of Memphis announced that Bishop Byrne High would close at the end of the spring semester. The school had experienced declining enrollment in recent years and higher maintenance costs than Memphis Catholic High School. Influence1, a private charter school foundation, purchased the former Bishop Byrne property from the Catholic Diocese of Memphis and planned to open three charter schools at the location.
Athletics
Bishop Byrne competed in Division 2, Region A of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) along with:
- David Brainerd Christian School (Chattanooga)
- Davidson Academy (Nashville)
- First Assembly Christian School (Cordova)
- Kings Academy (Seymour)
- Lighthouse Christian (Millington)
- Memphis Catholic High School (Memphis, Tennessee)
- Tipton Rosemark Academy (Millington)
- Rossville Christian
- Northpoint Christian School (Southaven, Mississippi)
- St. Andrews (Sewanee)
- St. George's (Collierville)
Notes and references
