The Walla Walla Catholic School System has operated continuously since 1864. Our schools, the oldest in the state, evolved from the vision and religious conviction of an increasing number of Catholic settlers who wanted to ensure their Catholic heritage, no matter how uncertain the times.  Under the guidance first of the Sisters of Providence, then the Christian Brothers, Dominicans, and Holy Name Sisters, both St. Vincent Academy and St. Patrick School became the cornerstones for a distinguished and uninterrupted history of Catholic education that remains unique to this day. In the 1950s, Assumption and DeSales opened, replacing St. Patrick's with more modern facilities. Our present lay faculty owes no small debt to the influence of the sisters, brothers, and priests of years past, whose teaching shaped thousands of young lives. Our Catholic Community as a whole has, moreover, demonstrated a strong commitment to our schools’ financial and physical needs.  Rising to the challenges of the times, change and progress, Walla Walla Catholics have contributed their time and resources to build new schools and update existing facilities. For over 150 years, our Catholic community and schools have been continually dedicated, committed, and responsive to the Catholic generations that followed.

Today over 300 young people are enrolled in the Early Learning Center, Assumption Catholic Grade School, and DeSales High School. A priest and fifty lay teachers, administrators, and staff provide a Catholic education for today’s students. 75% of our students are Catholic, 25% are not; the Walla Walla Catholic Schools’ doors have always been open to all who seek to support and benefit from our mission. For a century and a half, as times have shifted, teaching orders have come and gone, populations have changed, and challenges have arisen, Walla Walla Catholic Schools, supported by Assumption, St. Francis, and St. Patrick parishes and the entire Walla Walla community, have continued to provide an excellent Catholic education for life for all who have sought it.