Our History

Presentation Academy was founded on November 21, 1831, by Mother Catherine Spalding and the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. Providing both elementary and secondary education for students of different faiths and statuses, Presentation originally operated from the basement of St. Louis Church (now the undercroft of the Cathedral of the Assumption). Years later, as the city of Louisville expanded and the population of the region exploded, the Sisters purchased land at the corner of Fourth and Breckinridge Streets. In 1893, the academic building was constructed and the school moved to its present site.
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In the 1930s, Presentation survived several catastrophes. A fire in 1935 destroyed the school’s auditorium, followed by the Great Flood of 1937, which caused extensive damage. In the wake of such misfortune, Pres experienced a period of unprecedented development. A new gymnasium was added in 1938 and a new wing 10 years later. In 1945, the elementary school closed to accommodate the rapidly growing population of the girls’ high school, which peaked in the 1950s and 1960s. During the late 1980s, enrollment declined while tuition increased. Faced with daunting financial challenges, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth announced in January 1995 their decision to close the Academy at the end of the school year. The community’s response to this shocking news was swift. Students, parents, alumnae, and friends raised over $750,000 in less than a week, providing necessary financial security for Spalding University to oversee governance of the school and keep the doors open.