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.

Our Mission
Rooted in Roman Catholic Tradition, Las Cruces Catholic School promotes excellence in education and fosters Christian spiritual, intellectual, and moral virtues in our students.

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) which is 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 accreditation based on several factors to include; Catholic identity, organization, curriculum, instruction & assessment, support services and resources. The WCEA commission after conducting a study that includes a several day visit, recommends and votes on an accreditation for each school. Las Cruces Catholic School was recently accredited in early 2019 for SIX FULL YEARS. More information can be found at ????

LCCS is also certified by Advanc-Ed and the Public Education Department of New Mexico.  The school offers a curriculum which is a blend of core studies and innovative programs that encourage creativity in, and dedication to, learning. Enrichment classes in music, art, physical education, home economics, Spanish language and culture, computer technology, and journalism are offered.

All subjects are taught in accordance with the curriculum that has been outlined by the New Mexico Public Education Department.