St. Rose of Lima Catholic School has been part of DeSoto since 1891, when the first school bells rang in what was then the town's original Catholic church. Ursuline Sisters from St. Louis opened the doors to 150 students that first year, including several who were not Catholic, and the school has offered a faith-filled, quality education to DeSoto families ever since.

The Ursuline Sisters taught here for more than ninety years, shaping generations of students. As enrollment grew, so did the school. Parishioners funded a new three-story brick building in 1929, raising the money through the Labor Day Picnics that became a local tradition. The first lay teachers joined the faculty in 1950, a hot lunch program began in 1955 and still serves students today, and the building has been expanded and modernized many times over the decades to keep pace with each new class.

Community support has always been at the heart of St. Rose. In 1995, a group of school mothers organized the first St. Rose auction, which has since grown into one of the area's most anticipated events and raised millions of dollars to keep the school strong. That same generosity built St. Rose Hall in 2017, a space for physical education, indoor recess, extended care, and school events.

Today, St. Rose of Lima Catholic School continues that tradition, educating students from preschool through 8th grade in the same faith, community, and care that have defined it since 1891. Our goal remains what it has always been: to provide a strong Catholic education that prepares children for whatever comes next.