Mother
​Catherine Spalding

​Foundress of Presentation Academy
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.
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.



​Presentation Academy moved to the corner of 4th & Breckenridge Streets in 1893.
Nearly 10 years after Spalding ownership, Presentation became an independent entity. Since 2005, the Academy has been governed by a Board of Trustees, with the President and Principal overseeing day-to-day operations. Funding for the school comes from tuition, charitable contributions, and financial grants. In 2010, Pres and the Sisters of Charity entered into a Covenant relationship of prayer, joint activities and partnership in mission. The Sisters continue to support the school financially annually.
The newest addition to the downtown campus came in 2009 when the Arts & Athletic Center was built on the opposite corner of Fourth and Breckinridge. This state-of-the-art building includes a 700-seat gymnasium, a theater, a visual-arts classroom, a dance studio, a fitness center, locker rooms, a conference room, and offices.
As Louisville’s original Catholic high school, Presentation Academy belongs to a special part of history. Whether a graduate of the early 1900s or today, the women who have walked and will walk these halls – Pres Girls – share a connection to one another and to this iconic institution.

The Arts & Athletic Center
​was dedicated in 2009.