St. Agnes Academy is a Dominican college-preparatory school for young women grades 9 through 12 in the Chinatown area and in the Greater Sharpstown district of Houston, Texas. The school operates within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. History Pauline Gannon, a Dominican Sister, founded St. Agnes Academy in 1905. St. Agnes opened on February 11, 1906, at 3901 Fannin Street in what is now considered to be Midtown. The school was named after Saint Agnes of Rome. The school was founded as a grade one through 12 school with boarding facilities. The University of Texas and the Texas State Board of Education accredited St. Agnes in 1917. In 1939, boarding was discontinued. In 1952, St. Agnes began to serve grades 9 through 12 only. In 1963, the school moved from its Fannin Street location to its current location at 9000 Bellaire Boulevard in the Sharpstown area of Houston, Texas. The school motto is Veritas, meaning truth. Location In September 1963, the school moved across town to its current location at 9000 Bellaire Boulevard (near the intersection of Gessner Drive and Bellaire Boulevard). St. Agnes Academy is located adjacent to Strake Jesuit College Preparatory, a Jesuit school for high school boys. The two schools hold some joint classes together, including choir and band. Culture In 1974 Texas Monthly stated that St. Agnes had an image of being for "older Catholic families" since many alumnae of the school sent their daughters to attend St. Agnes. The magazine stated that students from both St. Agnes and Duchense, another Houston-area Catholic girls' school, originated from "mostly business and professional people with money." St. Agnes Academy strives to instill the four pillars of Dominican tradition (Prayer, Study, Community, and Preaching) into the intellects and hearts of each student. At St. Agnes Academy, students are encouraged to develop intellectual curiosity, to work for social justice and to act with integrity and compassion. The Academy's head of school likes to tell her students, "Take on the world with a Bible in one hand and the news in the other," meaning that students should be aware of the social world around them while also carrying on Catholic traditions that encompass moral choices and spiritual beliefs. Students are given facts and logic to think for themselves, rather than being told what to think. St. Agnes Academy is a great institution for any young women seeking to work and