History
St. Augustine High School, founded in 1927, is Laredo's only Catholic high school, serving grades 9-12. A bicultural, predominantly bilingual school community, 95% of the student population is Hispanic and Catholic, with 30% residing in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. St. Augustine High School has a long-standing tradition of providing quality programming in academics and faith formation, with 100% of its graduates applying, being accepted and attending college.
The original St. Augustine High School campus was located in downtown Laredo adjacent to the present-day diocesan Cathedral of San Agustin. The school was founded and operated by the Oblates and staffed by the Sisters of Divine Providence; it flourished for nearly 50 years in downtown Laredo providing a co-ed Catholic education to generations of Laredo and Nuevo Laredo families. In the mid 1970's, with the closure of both Ursuline Academy, an all-girls' Catholic school and St. Joseph's Academy, a private boys' Marist Brothers Catholic school, St. Augustine High School was relocated to the Ursuline Academy facilities in 1976, its present-day location at 1300 Galveston Street. It was the support of community leaders, local families and Catholic school advocates that made this move possible, in order to ensure a Catholic secondary school for Laredo. The school has prospered for over 45 years at this current location, with a significant growth and continued improvement in curriculum, enrollment, and facilities.
While operated through the mid 1980s by the Laredo Catholic Consolidated, Inc, a non-profit corporation, St. Augustine High School became part of the Diocese of Corpus Christi in 1987. Then in 2000, with the formation of the Diocese of Laredo, St. Augustine High School become part of the Diocese of Laredo. A diocesan school, it operates under the leadership of His Excellency, James A. Tamayo, First Bishop of the Diocese of Laredo; the Vicar General, the Very Reverend Father Anthony Mendoza, Superintendent, Guadalupe Perez, Principal, Olga Gentry and an 11-member advisory board. Administrative team members include Sarah de la Garza, College Readiness Director, Eduardo Valdez, Student and Support Services Director and Rodrigo Romo, Athletic Director. There are thirty faculty members, serving the needs of 325 students.
