[2] Mount St Joseph School was established in 1902 by the Sisters of the Cross and Passion.

After World War II it became a girls' direct grant grammar school.

This was designed by a former pupil and incorporates the religious background of the school in its Roman Catholic Heritage.

Today Mount St Joseph is a voluntary aided school administered by Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford.

The school's Latin motto "Vitae Via Virtus" translates and means "Virtue is the way of Life".