St. Genevieve’s Parish, then located on what is now the site of Community First Bank at the Downtown Mall, broke ground for the first parochial school in Las Cruces on May 3, 1927.  This date is the Feast of the Finding of the Holy Cross, so it was deemed appropriate to name the school “Holy Cross School.”  That first three-room school was just north of the Church and was used for primary grades.  The school was dedicated September 14, 1927, on the feast of the Exultation of the Holy Cross.  The first 8th grade class of eight students graduated in 1933.

By 1958, there were 300 students attending Holy Cross School.  As the school continued to grow, Immaculate Heart of Mary School was founded in 1957 in order to meet the enrollment demands.  In 1962, Holy Cross School moved to its new and present facility on Miranda Street.

Since the mid 1980’s, there was discussion of consolidating the two schools in order to promote growth, unity of purpose, and better utilization of resources.  So in 1995, a single administrative team was hired to oversee the two schools and facilitate their consolidation.  In January 1996, the two school boards merged under one constitution.  The two schools then became the Las Cruces Area Catholic School with two sites, Holy Cross Campus and Immaculate Heart of Mary Campus.  In the spring of 2001, the Las Cruces Area Catholic School was reorganized as Las Cruces Catholic School under the governance of a Board of Directors.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the staff at Las Cruces Catholic School responded quickly to the needs of our students by developing new ways of temporarily teaching remotely and also working creatively to reopen with in-person instruction during the 2020-2021 school year.

In 2021, Saint Mary’s closed its doors, however, a feasibility study is being conducted to determine the joyful return of a high school.

Today, LCCS is excited to continue enrolling more students than ever before and maintain the school’s ability to adapt and thrive even during challenging times.

Our Vision
It is envisioned by Las Cruces Catholic School (LCCS) that the truly ideal educational mission, philosophy, setting, processes, and stakeholders of a Catholic school are those that will enable and require the school to:

• Promote and achieve the highest possible levels of academic excellence for all its students, as determined by widely accepted national and international standards of educational quality;

• Provide all its students a strong foundation of values and virtues rooted in the Catholic faith which are essential for their ongoing formation both as life-long leaders of the Catholic Church and their communities, and as truly responsible citizens;

• Support and augment the parents’ role as “first teachers and mentors” of their children.

Las Cruces Catholic School is accredited by the Western Catholic Educational Association (WCEA), a private educational accrediting agency for Catholic elementary and secondary schools in ten western United States and the U.S. territory of Guam. Schools receive WCEA accreditation based on several factors, including:

• Catholic Identity
• Organization
• Curriculum
• Instruction & Assessment,
• Support Services & Resources.

LCCS is accredited through the Western Catholic Education Association (WCEA).  After completing the required Self-Study and accrediting team visit, LCCS was granted a Six Year Accreditation in June of 2025 and identified the goals noted below.  The next accreditation will take place during the 2030-2031 school year.

LCCS is also certified by Advanc-Ed and the Public Education Department of New Mexico.  We offer a curriculum built from core studies and innovative programs that encourage creativity and dedication to learning. Please visit our Academics and Student Life sections to view our fantastic academic and extracurricular offerings.