St. Francis was born in the year 1182 in the lovely town of Assisi in Italy. His father was a wealthy cloth merchant and was very prosperous in his textile business. Francis was a happy-go-lucky, luxurious and handsome young man. When he was 20, he was captured during a war with the neighbouring Perugians and was made to spend a year in prison. While in prison and confined to his bed with fever for several months, he came to realize the emptiness of the life he had been leading. After his release, he abandoned his former wasteful ways and started to serve the poor and the sick, especially the lepers. He tried to find God's will and plan in solitary prayers, meditation and penance. He also single-handedly renovated the church of St. Damiano, when the ancient crucifix commended: "Repair my house which is falling to ruin." His father disinherited Francis of all his wealth and possessions which was gladly accepted by him. Then onwards he lived like a hermit and began to practice poverty in a strict sense imitating the gospel values and the norms of discipleship of Jesus Christ. Francis had a very impressive and affectionate personality. He was very cheerful and unassertive. He was speedily able to effect many reconciliations in his journeys through Italy, Southern France and Spain. A great number of sinners were won over by his loving, winning personality and his all-embracing sympathy.
St. Francis parted away at the age of 44 on October 4th 1226. He was declared as Saint two years after his death and still remains as the world's best known and most loved saint.

After 15 years of his death, a group of pious women, inspired by the life and example of St. Francis of Assisi, started a small convent in the little town of Dillingen near the river Danube in Germany in 1241. The main purpose of this congregation was: “to give due praise and glory to God through adoration and care for the people who were in need.”
For nearly 600 years, the convent continued at the single convent simple in style weathering the storms of time. But the members remained steadfast in their faith and put their hope and trust in the providence of God Almighty. In course of time as more girls wanted to join the congregation, the mission spread to other parts of Germany and the rest of the world. The Franciscan Sisters set foot on the soil of the city of Bilaspur in the year 1979 and settled in Nehru Nagar Area. They soon discovered that most of the local population of the adjoining Ameri Village & surrounding areas were illiterate and the tender buds were wandering around aimlessly without education. The plight of the people ignited the spark in the hearts of the Franciscan Sisters and they felt the dire need to light up the souls of these children with value education.

The School had a very humble beginning in a shed with 7 kids for the Pre-Primary classes on 13th July 1980. The classes commenced in Gandhi Nagar (Nehru Nagar) under the able guidance of its First Head Mistress, Sr. Josita and Sr. Elsa. The school was later shifted to its present premises in Ameri Road Campus on the memorable date of 1st July 1991. The institution, then named as St. Francis Convent School, commenced its functioning in July 1991 with the pre-primary classes. In July 1993, under the aegis of its Second Head Mistress Sr. Paulit, the school started Primary School Education with Class-I in the Ameri Campus. There were 38 students in the first batch of Class-I and combined with the pre-primary sections, the total strength accounted to 242.
In the year 1998, Sr. Rosilin Augustine took over as the Principal of this institution from Sr. Paulit. Since then, with the joint efforts of the dedicated staff, parents and well-wishers, she has been instrumental in rendering unique service of dispelling abject ignorance and illiteracy. It is due to her hectic efforts and selfless service to humanity, her visionary instinct, motivating leadership, the school has grown with confidence under her experienced and graceful hands. Greatly influenced by the teachings of St. Francis, she spearheaded and successfully paved the path for quality education in Bilaspur District of Chhattisgarh. Previously, the school was affiliated with the Chhattisgarh Madhyamik Shiksha Mandal, Raipur and followed its prescribed syllabus at the Higher Secondary level. Two batches had successfully passed out of this school under this affiliation. But the need of the hour demanded for a challenging learning environment and owing to the untiring efforts and farsightedness of Sr. Rosilin, the school applied and got the affiliation from the Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi in the year 2005 for Class IX and X and the very next year i.e. in 2006 for Class XI and XII.
While addressing the needs for the Secondary school and Senior Secondary school students, Sr. Rosilin was also keenly occupied with the roadmap to realize her dream project, a space very exclusive for the budding children to cater to all their special needs. Her dream was fulfilled in the year 2005, when the newly constructed St. Francis Kids World was ready. The St. Francis Kids World was aimed at providing a congenial environment for the all-round development of the tender children and equip them to meet the challenges of the new millennium.
With the increase in student’s strength year by year, the need for additional space to accommodate was felt which led to the construction of San Damiano block in 2010. This block was designed keeping the students of lower primary classes in mind and is easily distinguished from rest of all blocks due to its attractive coloured walls and furniture.
We thank the Lord for blessing us with this wonderful vision.

The School, St. Francis Hr. Sec. School, Ameri Road, Bilaspur (C.G.) is a coeducational institution with a tradition of loving and respecting relations. The school is affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education and follows the curriculum as prescribed by the C.B.S.E. At the higher secondary level, the School provides an array of subjects to choose from Mathematics, Science and Commerce.
Great care is taken so see that not only high standards are maintained in the Academic ideology but the school also ensures that value education, self-discipline and respect for life become an integral part of the student’s life. Games and sports are also given maximum priority and that has helped us create champions representing the school at the various levels in C.B.S.E. interschool competitions as well as various events organized by the School Games Federation of India (SGFI) including the national level. The curriculum also provides ample room for co-curricular activities with wide variety of events organized periodically throughout the year.
The school now stands proudly as one of the pioneer educational institutions in Bilaspur owing to the contribution of its present Principal, Sr. Rosilin Augustine. Time has witnessed the success stories as the glorious years have rolled on adding a new feather to her cap and a new dimension to her personality and the school. School had made sure that positive ideas are inculcated in students regarding scientific outlook, moral values, cleanliness of self and the surroundings, graceful manners, obedience and discipline. Audio Visual room for small kids, spacious playground, science, mathematics and computer laboratories are the tools in the hands of the highly qualified and dedicated teachers who pay individual care to achieve high academic standard. It infuses the thirst for knowledge, devotion to duty, honesty and patriotic fervour besides humanism.
Ever since its inception, the institution has blossomed and continued on the path of nurturing and grooming young buds of the society into mature and responsible citizens of tomorrow. The number of classes and students grew steadily each year and by God's grace, as per the last Academic Session 2019-2020, we have 5133 blooming buds dispersing their fragrance in this institution.