Our History

The good news of Incarnate Word Academy came about through the faith, courage, and dedication of the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament. Coming to Texas with a great love of God in their hearts, a commitment to the teaching mission of the Church, and a willingness to share in a new venture, the Sisters forged a path in the rugged land of South Texas to become a major provider and leader of Catholic education in Corpus Christi .

Despite struggles and hardships, Incarnate Word Academy opened its doors in 1871. The first buildings were poor and inadequate; but support of benefactors and friends made possible a new building, which served students from 1885-1926. A second building was completed to fulfill requirements for a first-class State-affiliated high school. It included grammar grade classrooms and boarding accommodations.

In 1955 the high school students moved from the building on Carancahua Street to a beautiful new building on the present site at 2910 South Alameda . A three-room kindergarten was also opened. Ten years later, the Sisters opened Incarnate Word Elementary with kindergarten through third grade, adding a class each year. Soon, the Montessori program began, providing an innovative, individualized, child-oriented education for children from the ages of two and a half to five years. Traditional and Montessori elementary classes now go through the fifth grade.

In 1970, at the request of the area Catholic School Board, the Sisters funded the construction of Incarnate Word Junior High to provide Catholic education for seventh and eighth grade students in the city. In 1975, IWA high school was opened to boys, which required adjustments and expansion. The conversion of the junior high into an innovative Middle School for grades six, seven and eight, provided a developmental environment to meet the needs of the "child in the middle."

In recent history, significant changes have advanced the school's mission. Governing bodies were created with the establishment of The Office of the President in 1988 and the initiation of an independent school board in 1994. The School Board was later recognized by NCEA in 2000 as a National Outstanding Board. Incarnate Word Academy celebrated a milestone on March 19, 2001 , commemorating 130 years of excellence and service in Catholic education in Corpus Christi .

To further advance the mission of the school and to make a quality Catholic education available to more students in the Coastal Bend area, the IWA President's Award was created in 2002. During the same year, a planned giving program was established in response to interest for financial planning by alumni, parents and friends and to promote the Incarnate Word Academy Foundation. Living Stones Building the Mission , a major gift recognition society, was created in 2003 to recognize the support of the school's mission by loyal and generous donors.

Thinking , believing and living - three integral aspects of the educational program at Incarnate Word Academy - were epitomized by the first annual mission trip to Tula Mexico in 2003. To serve as a road map and embodiment of goals for the future, Strategic Plan III, was adopted in 2004.