St. Scholastica’s Academy, Marikina (SSAM) was founded in 1961 in response to the appeal of the alumnae of St. Scholastica’s College, Manila who reside in Quezon City, Marikina Pasig, and other neighboring communities, for a Catholic School in the vicinity where their children could go.

SSAM is located on a 5.8 hectare piece of land in a hilly, picturesque section of Barrio Parang, in the northeastern part of the town of Marikina. The site is within the Marikina Heights Subdivision and was offered to the Missionary Benedictine Sisters at a very special price by then owner of the subdivision, Mr. Jose Tuazon, Sr. Ground- breaking for the first building took place on July 16, 1960, to coincide with the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. The people who were given a direct hand in overseeing the construction were Sister Silvana, OSB, Mother Sub-Prioress of the Benedictine Sisters of Tutzing in the Philippines, Architect Imelda Borromeo Cancio and Project and Structural Engineer Ben Abastillas. Construction of the first phase of the physical plant followed immediately.

SSAM was incorporated on January 11, 1961. Soon after, the school opened its doors on June 5, 1961 with only 63 students – 30 in the Pre-school and 33 in the Grade School. The blessing of the new building was held on August 15, 1961 which coincided with the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady, with no less than Cardinal Rufino J. Santos as the officiating priest. In attendance were the Benedictine Sisters from Manila, likewise, sisters from Holy Ghost, Maryknoll, St. Paul, Immaculate Conception and La Consolacion. 

In1962, the student population suddenly rose to 293. And in 1963, the High School Department was opened with only 18 fresh women. The years that followed saw a steady increase in student population. This necessitated the hiring of more teachers and staff, the construction of additional buildings and facilities in 1966 and the updating of equipment and laboratories.

As important as these educational initiatives and the institutionalization of support structures was the need to enrich the curricular and instructional programs in order for the school to live up to and concretize its Vision-Mission-Goals (VMG) and the educational thrust of quality and relevant education. The enrollment reached its peak of 3,381 in 1984. in 1985, a decision was made to phase out the Kindergarten starting the following year in order to accommodate the additional classroom needs of the fourth grade as it went to a morning and afternoon schedule. The move caused a temporary decrease in the population. There were seven sections per class level in 1991. However, since 1999; Grades 4, 5 and 6 were limited to six sections each. To this date, SSAM already has a steady enrollment of more than 3,200 students in the Grade School and High School.

A new gym, the Sr.  Irmburg Covered Court (SICC), was erected in 1988, far enough from classrooms to avoid noise disturbances. In 1997, a section of the Sr. Eleonora covered Court (SECC) was converted for use by the Computer classes of both HS and GS and Music classes of the GS. Later years saw the rise of annexes, namely: Sr. Liguori Annex, Sr.  Irmengardis Hall and Sr. Joaquina Dining Hall and in 2007, the Music House and the St. Hildegarde House of Prayer along Ipil Street.

n the year 2007, the swimming pool was constructed with the assistance of the PTA and was blessed in 2008. Last October 7, 2009 the “ramp” was blessed together with the new reference section of the Grade School Library.

From its humble beginnings, SSAM has striven to offer the Benedictine tradition of education marked by academic excellence coupled with discipline, spiritual growth, development and social responsibility. This brand of education has been the trademark of all Benedictine schools administered by the Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Tutzing in the Philippines. For SSAM, the imperative to build a “community centered in Christ where every member called for mission seeks God in a creative balance of prayer (Ora), work (Labora) and study” has been the vision it has set for itself (SSAM Documents). This vision finds concretization in the members of the academic community valuing the Gospel of Love of God and neighbor, living out the Benedictine values of seeking God, community life, and stewardship, simplicity of lifestyle, respect for life, justice, discipline, humility, obedience, and peace, among others. As important is the quest for involvement in social concerns as a living proof of the Benedictine Sisters’ solidarity with the poor, the oppressed and the deprived.
The School commits itself “to the proclamation and final fulfillment of God’s kingdom of truth, justice, peace and the integrity of creation.” This commitment is evidenced by “intensifying the programs of action involving all sectors of the school. Community as it pursues Christian spiritual formation the Benedictine way and academic excellence as social responsibility.”