About

Our Mission & History

2026 GRADUATION PIC

Villa Madonna Academy, a private, Catholic, K-12 school educates students in a Christ-centered community rooted in the Benedictine traditions of scholarship, service, and hospitality.

Our Vision

To be recognized as a community of strong minds and spirits prepared to think critically, lead courageously, and serve others as:

List of 3 items.

Lifelong Learners
- Critical thinkers who embrace problem solving utilizing creativity and collaboration;
- Accomplished students prepared for rigorous academic programs and the opportunities of a global society.
Engaged Citizens
- Conscientious stewards committed to service;
- Confident leaders who initiate change to positively impact the community.
Reflective Disciples
- Prayerful individuals who seek spiritual development;
- A welcoming family that embraces the dignity and diversity of others.

Our Philosophy

Founded by the Benedictine Sisters of St. Walburg Monastery, Villa Madonna Academy is a community that promotes spiritual development founded on love of God, hospitality, respect for others, service, and stewardship. The Academy partners with parents to provide a student-centered learning environment that encourages students to realize their fullest potential. Villa’s dedicated faculty and staff ignite a love of learning through a curriculum based upon the interdependence of all academic disciplines.

Our Core Values

Hospitality and Respect

St. Benedict in his Rule views every person as Christ. VMA faculty, staff, and students value and respect the dignity of every person, especially the young and the old, the sick and the poor, the stranger and the guest. All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ. RB 53:1 Care and concern are to be shown in receiving all people, because in them, Christ is received. RB 53:15
Community

Community living is essential to Benedictine spirituality and the moral life of the Church. VMA faculty, staff, and students work for the common good within the school and within the global community. They should be the first to show respect to one another. RB 72:4 No one is to pursue what he/she judges better for him/herself, but instead what is judged better for someone else. RB 72:6
Stewardship

St. Benedict believed that God is actively present in the world and sees our encounter with the material world as an opportunity for hearing God’s voice. VMA faculty, staff and students affirm the sacramental reality of the material world and are stewards of the resources they have been given. Regard all utensils and goods as vessels of the altar. RB 31:10 That in all things God may be glorified. RB 57:9
Listening

The first word of the Rule of Benedict is Listen. St. Benedict believes that one can only come to God by listening with the ear of the heart in communion with others. VMA faculty, staff, and students believe that seeking counsel and listening are keys to making good decisions and acting on them. Listen with the ear of your heart. RB Prologue:1. Call the whole community together and explain what the business is; and after hearing the [community’s] advice, ponder it and follow the wiser course. RB 3:2
Service

In Chapter 4 of his Rule, St. Benedict urges his followers to love God and neighbor. The Academy community practices this teaching in multiple ways throughout the school year. Students and teachers at every grade level are involved in a wide variety of service learning projects, from local to global, instilling a life-long commitment to serve others. First of all, love the Lord God with your whole heart, your whole soul and all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. RB4:1-2

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Our History

The Benedictine Sisters of St. Walburg Monastery, who founded the school, celebrate the presence of Jesus Christ and serve Him in all God's people, the young and the old, the sick and the poor, the stranger, and the guest. Their educational philosophy flows directly from the teachings of St. Benedict. These values of education are very much alive in Villa classrooms today and throughout Villa's curriculum.

Our story begins in 1859 when three Sisters, immigrants from Germany, came to Covington from Pennsylvania intending to found a community of Benedictine Sisters to help the German settlers in the lower Ohio Valley keep the faith and teach the children. Accordingly, they set up classrooms in the St. Joseph Parish in Covington and began taking resident and day students. In 1903, the Benedictine Sisters of St. Walburg purchased the large W. S. Collins estate from James Cleveland and established Villa Madonna Academy, a boarding and day school for girls. Villa Madonna, meaning “country seat of our Lady,” was dedicated to Our Lady of Good Counsel.

In 1921, the Benedictine Sisters opened Villa Madonna College as an addition to the elementary and high school programs. The college became a diocesan college in 1929 and was relocated to Covington. Villa Madonna College was renamed Thomas More College in 1968 and relocated to its present site in Crestview Hills, Kentucky.

As the years passed, the scholastic reputation of Villa Madonna Academy rose as the faculty and students were characterized for their interest in academic excellence. Affiliation with the Catholic University of America was accomplished as early as 1915. Since 1923, Villa Madonna Academy has held accreditation with the Kentucky State Department of Education as a Class A school. Membership in the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools has been continuous since 1925. The Villa earned a Superior rating in 1964. Boys were admitted to the elementary school in the mid-1970s and in the 1980s, the high school introduced a new college-preparatory curriculum that welcomed both boys and girls.