1866
Six Sisters of Mercy arrive in Nashville to open a school for a city still recovering from the
Civil War. Within a year, the Sisters teach over 400 children.
1867
St. Bernard Academy opens its doors in a building near Capitol Hill.
1905
St. Bernard Academy moves to its current location on Hillsboro Road. While located far
beyond paved roads and street-car service, the new building is quite modern with steam
heat, electric lights and even telephones.
1914
SBA affiliates with Catholic University of America, a relationship that would last for
decades.
1933
SBA High School receives accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and
Secondary Schools.
1943
Kindergarten was added to the Academy - children of pre-school age were registered.
1960
On September 24, Mercy Day, SBA opens a new high school building along 24th Avenue
South. According to a news release from the time, "10 general purpose classrooms and 5
specialized classrooms . . . designed to contribute to the students' well being and to make
the education process a pleasant and fruitful experience."
1970
SBA introduces a non-graded curriculum to the elementary school that continues the SBA
tradition of challenging students but recognizes that children learn and progress at different
rates and in different ways.
1989
The Sisters of Mercy sell the elementary school to a parent–led not–for–profit foundation
dedicated to continuing the Sisters’ educational mission.
1990
SBA Elementary School receives accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges
and Secondary Schools.
2004
SBA undertakes an ambitious construction campaign to update the former high-school
building to continue the Sisters' educational mission well into the 21st century.
