Loretto Academy is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

school in

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...

. It was opened in 1923 and was founded by Mother M. Praxedes Carty. is a part of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso The Diocese of El Paso (, ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in the El Paso Valley in Texas in the United States. It is a Suffragan bishop, suffragan see of the metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdioces ...

. Grades Pre-K3-5 are coeducational, while grades 6-12 are all girls.

Background

The Sisters of Loretto had previously established several schools in Las Cruces and

El Paso El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...

. In the early 1920s, Mother M. Praxedes Carty of the

Sisters of Loretto The Sisters of Loretto or the Loretto Community is a Catholic religious institute that strives "to bring the healing Spirit of God into our world." Founded in the United States in 1812 and based in the rural community of Nerinx, Kentucky, the o ...

came to El Paso to establish a new school. On March 20, 1922, she purchased 19 acres of land in the Austin Terrace area, which was considered a bad place to put the school. The area was open

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on a hilltop and was accessible by

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. For the time period, it was considered to be a long distance from the downtown area. Because of the location, people were unsure if parents would send their children to the school. People began to call the project "Praxedes' Folly." The building was designed by

Trost & Trost Trost & Trost Architects & Engineers, often known as Trost & Trost, was an architectural firm based in El Paso, Texas. The firm's chief designer was Henry Charles Trost, who was born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1860. Trost moved from Chicago to Tucson, ...

. Gustavus A. Trost was friends with Mother Praxedes and may have done most of the primary architectural drawings. The buildings were "designed to face

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

" in a welcoming gesture for all people to join the community. They were built using stuccoed brick and red Spanish tile on the roof. The first building was started in the fall of 1922. The cornerstone for the chapel was laid down on March 20, 1924. The entire campus was not complete until the 1930s. However, the first school building was ready in 1923. Loretto Academy in El Paso opened on September 11, 1923 with 186 students, of which 20 lived at the school as boarders. In 1928, the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools admitted Loretto as a member. The boarding school closed in 1975. Students from

Ciudad Juarez Ciudad () is the Spanish word for "city". Ciudad or La Ciudad may also refer to: * La Ciudad (archaeological site), Hohokam ruins in Phoenix, Arizona * La Ciudad, district of Durango City, Mexico * ''La ciudad'', a novel by Mario Levrero published ...

also attend the school. As of the early 1990s the school had over 900 students. After 22 years, in 2022, Sister Mary E. "Buffy" Boesen stepped down as president of Loretto. Loretto alumna, Nicole Ortega Cobb, became the next president of the school in June 2022.

Notable attendees

Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasing the album ...

. *

Maureen McDonnell Robert Francis McDonnell (born June 15, 1954) is an American politician, attorney, businessman, academic administrator, and former military officer who served as the 71st governor of Virginia from 2010 to 2014. He is a member of the Republica ...

. * Karla Martínez de Salas. *

Amirah Kassem Amirah Kassem (born January 8, 1987) is an American-born baker, author, designer and media personality. She is best known as the owner and founder oFLOUR SHOPand a judge on the Disney+ food-art series ''Foodtastic.'' Her kitchen, table, home and ...

. * Michelle Dipp. * Mago Orona Gándara. * Mary Helen Garcia. *

Alicia Gaspar de Alba Alicia Gaspar de Alba is an American scholar, cultural critic, novelist, and poet whose works include historical novels and scholarly studies on Chicana/o art, culture and sexuality. Biography Gaspar de Alba was born on July 29, 1958, in El P ...

. * M. Sue Kurita. *

Pat Mora Pat Mora (born January 19, 1942) is an American poet and author of books for adults, teens and children. A native of El Paso, Texas El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United S ...

. * María Guillermina Valdes Villalva. * Patricia Roybal Caballero. * Andi Teran, author.

Notable faculty

* Lilliana Owens. *

Jacqueline Grennan Wexler Jacqueline Grennan Wexler (born Jean Marie Grennan; August 2, 1926 – January 19, 2012), commonly known as Sister J, was an American Catholic religious sister who rose to prominence when she, as President of Webster College, strove to convince ...

Notes and references

Sources

External links

School Website

"Sisters of Loretto Have Long Tradition in Southwest".
Borderlands article.
"Early History".
*
God's Own Frontier
' {{authority control Catholic secondary schools in Texas Educational institutions established in 1923 High schools in El Paso, Texas Private K–12 schools in Texas

Girls' schools in Texas Trost & Trost buildings 1923 establishments in Texas