School History

Kearns-St. Ann School is an imposing historical landmark of unique architectural beauty. This two-and-a-half story brick structure was designed by Carl M. Neuhausen, architect for the Thomas Kearns mansion and the Cathedral of the Madeleine. The building was constructed in 1899 under the direction of Bishop Lawrence Scanlan as a refuge for the shelter, training and education of the orphaned and destitute children of the State of Utah. Major funding for the orphanage came from the Thomas and Jennie Kearns family. The Patrick Phelan estate established an endowment for the orphanage. The orphanage, named Kearns-St. Ann Orphanage until 1955, was operated by the Sisters of the Holy Cross.


The work of caring for orphans gradually gave way to the education of students. In 1953 residents of the orphanage were placed in foster homes and the building was renovated to become St. Ann School. Continuing its rich tradition of ministering to youth, the school opened with grades K-4 under the leadership of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. Each year thereafter an additional grade was added until all eight grades were included in the school by 1959.

 
In anticipation of the school's restoration in the 1990's, and to symbolize its link with the past, it was renamed Kearns-St. Ann School. In January of 1980, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In the fall of 1999 the school celebrated its centennial with the completion of a 10-year renovation project that incorporated technological advances while maintaining the building's architectural heritage and grandeur. Today the school ministers to over 300 students in grades Preschool-8 and serves a diverse student population from varied socio-economic backgrounds.