History of St. Scholastica Academy

One of the oldest Catholic academies for young women in Chicago, St. Scholastica Academy opened its doors in 1865.  The Academy is the sponsored ministry of the Benedictine Sisters of Chicago.

In 1861, three Benedictine sisters from Erie, Pennsylvania (originally from Eichstatt, Germany) answered a call to come to Chicago to educate children of German immigrants in Chicago’s St. Joseph Parish School.  These three sisters were eventually joined by Benedictine sisters from St. Mary’s, Pennsylvania.  In 1865, they opened the Academy (named St. Joseph’s Academy) that served as a convent and a school with space for residential students. 

The Chicago Fire destroyed a great part of the city in 1871 including the Academy. This did not deter the Benedictine Sisters in their mission to educate young women in Chicago.  On July 1, 1872, the newly established Benedictine Sisters of Chicago bought land at Hill and Orleans Streets and re-opened the Academy under the name of Saints Benedict and Scholastica Academy.  As the Academy and their community grew, the Benedictine Sisters needed more space.  They purchased land in Rogers Park and moved the Academy and their monastery there in 1906 where St. Scholastica Academy sits today.

The Academy has continued to grow through the last century.  Today the Academy consists of the original 1906 building, a 1926 building, and a 1958 fine arts building.   The Academy has newly renovated science laboratories, fully equipped information technology classrooms, wireless technology throughout the buildings, two visual art studios, music studios, a choral room, and a 1,000-seat professional auditorium that benefited from a $1M renovation completed in 2007.  The Academy sits on 14-acres of landscaped property that includes a softball field, a playing field for field hockey and soccer, a running track, and a long jump pit.  All of these facilities help St. Scholastica Academy enact our mission of Benedictine education for girls, in which we are committed to educating the whole person.