[18][2] Established as Southern Mindoro Academy[1][19] in the middle of 1945 by Gabriel Fabrero Fabella,[20][21] a lawyer and prominent historian, the secondary school became exclusive to boys upon its incorporation into the Society of Divine Word (SVD) in 1960.

Its patron saints are St. Arnold Janssen, the founder of the Society of the Divine Word, and St. Joseph Freinademetz, a missionary priest in China.

Gabriel F. Fabella, a UP history professor from Romblon, who envisioned establishing a private secondary school in the town of San Jose towards the end of the Second World War.

[c] In 1946, as San Jose saw growth due to the construction of an American airstrip, SMA moved to a new location, purchased from the Soldevilla family.

DWCSJ began expanding its academic portfolio in the following decades, gaining government recognition for various programs that include Junior Secretarial Diploma (1978), Accountancy (1993), and Computer Science courses (1997).

[34][35][36] These assistance programs are listed as follows: The President of the Divine Word College of San Jose is elected by the Board of Trustees for a three-year term and may be re-elected.

Felino B. Javines Jr SVD, a graduate professor and former VP for Academics at the University of San Carlos in Cebu City.

The council conducts various activities and forums such as symposiums on anti-bullying, anti-harassment and anti-drug, and leadership trainings to help raise awareness to students.

Guided by Ms. Ana Mae Tividad, Directress of Office of Student Affairs, the student council is a delegate to the 2014 National Congress of College Councils (NCCC) held at UP Diliman on March 7, 2014, through its president acting as Regional Ambassador for MIMAROPA region, and as such, a member of the National Alliance of Youth Leaders (NAYL).

[50] The Pioneer is DWCSJ's official school paper with a news and editorial board comprising 22 contributors and writers in current affairs, literary, sports and opinion pieces, holding its office inside Fr.

[53] Divine Word College of San Jose offers 11 undergraduate and 4 postgraduate degree programs since its inception as a Higher Education Institution (HEI).

A robotics course was offered to Junior High School starting October 2019 in partnership with Quezon City-based educational company TechFactors Inc.'s RoboTek program under JHS-Robotict Club.

[62][63] The Divine Word College of San Jose is accredited by the Department of Education to operate Senior High School through program offerings in five (5) learning strands.

[18] The secondary education level started as early as 1945 with the establishment of Southern Mindoro Academy as the school's predecessor, with a few freshmen and sophomore students.

The school collaborated with the Local Government Unit (LGU) and the Far Eastern University and has sent 47 students to study at the main campus through the Community Extension Services Office.

The seal used when the school was originally established as Southern Mindoro Academy in 1945 features a map of Mindoro island over a white backdrop, enclosed by a circular white band with inner and outer black rings in which the then school abbreviation (SMA), its founding year (1945), and the name of the town of San Jose were inscribed.

[67] In the middle was a bend sinister dividing the shield in halves and bearing the school's acronym, DWC, which stands for Divine Word College.

Over time, the seal was restyled to include a banderole emblazoned with the institution's original motto, "In the Light of the Word", derived from a passage in the Gospel of John.

In addition to the religious symbols, the seal now incorporates a Tamaraw on the first quarter (a bovine endemic to Mindoro island) and the logo of the Society of the Divine Word below it on the third quadrant.

This version retained the founding years 1945 and 1960 rendered in the original golden tincture to signify the transfer of ownership and change in leadership.

Superimposed in the middle of the shield is the college nickname, DWCSJ, which now includes "SJ" as the initials for San Jose to distinguish it from other SVD schools in the country.

We seek the wisdom of the Word Like pilgrims lost in aliens sod Unsheathe for us life's conquering sword For us, Oh Pioneer of God!

Initiated by the Local Government Unit (LGU), it is a nationwide "walk for a cause" campaign that aims to raise funds for the out-of-school youth and provide scholarship grants to deserving but marginalized students.

[81] Registration for incoming fresh enrollees require documents such as the previous report card, PSA-issued birth certificate and transcript of records.

Its original site in 1945 when it was formed as a secular high school was at a large quonset building bought by the founders of SMA in the old town of Barangay Central.