Padua Academy is an all-girls Catholic high school in Wilmington, Delaware, United States. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington. The school strongly emphasizes college preparation, leadership, civic responsibility, and spirituality. Padua is fully accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and has been recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. It is a four-time winner of the "Superstars in Education" Award from the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce. Padua was named one of the Top 50 Catholic High Schools in America by the Cardinal Newman Society in 2012. Padua is a member of the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) and the Delaware Association of Independent Schools (DAIS). Padua’s Student Council has earned recognition as a Council of Excellence. Padua Academy is consistently recognized for outstanding community service and has merited both a Regional Gold Medal and a National Bronze Medal from the Jefferson Awards-Deloitte Students in Action program. History The school was founded in 1954 by Rev. Joseph L. McCoy, O.S.F.S. and built with the help of members of the St. Anthony of Padua Parish. Its patron saints are St. Francis of Assisi, St. Francis de Sales, and St Anthony of Padua. The first classes of Padua Academy (in the 1950s) took place in the upper level of Saint Anthony of Padua Grade School, located at 9th and North Scott Streets, two blocks away from the present building. Classes also took place in the old P.S. #11 school building in the early years. The present building at 10th and Broom Streets was designed and executed by Rev. Roberto Balducelli, O.S.F.S., who came to the United States from Italy in the 1940s and died in 2013 at the age of 100. The school was built by volunteer labor with the help of Brother Michael Rosenello, O.S.F.S., who died on September 20, 2019. Notable alumni Lisa Blunt Rochester, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pat Ciarrocchi, newscaster for KYW-TV's CBS3 Eyewitness News References External links Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington Catholic secondary schools in Delaware Girls' schools in Delaware High schools in New Castle County, Delaware Educational institutions established in 1954 Italian-American culture in Delaware 1954 establishments in Delaware Schools in Wilmington, Delaware