Louisville Collegiate School opened its doors
on September 23, 1915 in a house at 512 West Ormsby Avenue, becoming the first school in Kentucky committed specifically to preparing young women for college. Virginia Perrin Speed (1879–1968) and her husband William Shallcross Speed (1873–1955) were the principal founders and sustainers of the school, and are largely responsible for the school’s success

Needing more land to grow, Collegiate moved in 1927 to its current home on Glenmary Avenue in the historic Highlands, just east of downtown Louisville, in what is now the Lower School. (Construction of the new facility cost an estimated $115,000.)

Although the school initially accepted boys in the primary grades, it remained traditionally a girls’ school until 1972 when the Lower School became coeducational.

In 1980, Collegiate’s Board of Trustees—in response to the educational needs and desires of the community—finalized a bold, new direction: coeducation in the Upper School. To accommodate the increase in enrollment, Willig Hall was built in 1983 to house the Upper School. When the first coed class graduated in 1987, a new era of traditions was born.

As part of the school’s Master Plan, Collegiate launched a campaign in 2001 to expand its Upper School because of the tremendous growth Collegiate was experiencing—a growth that continues today because of our rich tradition of academic excellence. Collegiate expanded its Upper School into a 62,500-square-foot building that houses 17 classrooms, seven study areas, three science labs and two computer labs.

Approximately 630 students attend Louisville Collegiate School. Throughout the years, it has been an educational visionary and pioneer in the community. The school remains a leader by providing students mental, creative, and physical challenges within a supportive community of exceptional faculty and staff.

"The study hall was a large second-floor back porch and here we worked on our conjugations and equations all winter long."

- Photo 1917