In 1946 the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart began kindergarten classes at Church Road in Wyncote, Pennsylvania. The following year they opened a private elementary school for girls named Ancillae Academy, from the Latin word for handmaid. In 1957, the Handmaids founded Assumpta Academy, a boys' school named after Mother Assumption Escauriaza, a founding sister.[1]
The academy has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as an "Exemplary Private School" and as a *National Blue Ribbon Award recipient in 1992 and in 2010.[5][6][7]
Ancillae-Assumpta Academy won first place in the Creative Video Contest sponsored by the World Meeting of Families Congress held in Philadelphia in September 2015. Initiated by Pope John Paul II in 1994, the Congress is held every three years in a different location. Pope Francis is scheduled to attend.[9]
