Mother Pia and her dog

Immaculate Conception Academy, a four-year Catholic high school for young women, was founded in 1883 by Sister Maria Pia Backes, O.P.It is sponsored by the Dominican Sisters of the Congregation of the Queen of the Holy Rosary of Mission San Jose, California. Although the school was begun in 1883, a full four-year program was not offered until 1908. Immaculate Conception Academy was accredited to the University of California in 1915 and advanced to "A" rating in 1934. In 1962 the Academy became a charter member of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). ICA has been accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges through 2012.

In 1955 a lot at the corner of Twenty-Fourth and Fair Oaks Streets was purchased for school expansion. For thirty years this property was used as a courtyard, but in May 1986, construction was completed on a classroom/gymnasium annex. Herbst Hall. In 1994, a downstairs area of the adjacent convent was renovated to provide three additional classrooms. In March 1995, the school celebrated the conclusion of a successful capital campaign to establish a three million-dollar endowment. In January 1998, state-of-the-art technology became a reality with two fully equipped computer labs, every classroom and office with its own workplace and all connected to the World Wide Web.

Symbolism of the ICA Shield

The shield of Immaculate Conception Academy is based upon the traditional shield of the Dominican Order. Saint Dominic established the Dominican Order in 1206. The particular gift of Saint Dominic to the Church was to found an order whose members were dedicated to proclaiming truth and the Gospel message through preaching and teaching.

The Dominican motto, Veritas, Truth, names the school's ideal and responsibility to assist students to search for Truth and to live out the truth of the Gospel through a curriculum that helps students to develop their intellects, their sense of right and wrong and their basic values.

The shield includes two branches. The lily branch on the left symbolizes Dominic's life of single-minded devotion to Christ's work. The palm branch symbolizes the unity and peace that brothers and sisters in the family of God should strive to achieve.

The crown represents Mary, the Immaculate Conception, patroness of the school, under whose intercession the faculty and staff seek to educate the students with a reverent understanding of the dignity and role of womanhood in the Church and the world.

The star in the crown represents the school's effort to educate students to be public witnesses to their Catholic faith, especially by giving service to the wider civic and Church communities. The five points of the star indicate the goals of the school: to provide for the intellectual, spiritual, psychological, physical and social development of each young woman. The rosary is the prayer traditionally attributed to Saint Dominic.