Saint Rose School History

Saint Rose School opened its doors in 1953 as a four classroom school with two grades to each room. The Sisters of the Most Precious Blood from O’Fallon, Missouri sent three sisters to staff the school. In the beginning, there were 81 students, of which, 44 were from Sewart Air Force Base and the remaining students from Murfreesboro, TN.

The school continued to grow and in 1969 there were nine classrooms, a library, cafeteria, and gymnasium. The 1968-69 school year reached peak enrollment with 263 students. Unfortunately, during this school year, Sewart Air Force Base began to close and dependents began to leave. By the end of that year, the Precious Blood Sisters had withdrawn, and the impending closing of the Air Force base seemed to be pointing to the closing of the school since over half of the children, plus several faculty, were from the base.

In an effort to stop Saint Rose School from closing, The Dominican Sisters from Saint Cecilia Congregation in Nashville, agreed to send two Sisters for the 1969-70 school year. The school year opened with 195 students, 98 of which were from the Air Force base. By the end of the school year, there were no children from the base enrolled at the school. With a projected enrollment for the 1970-71 school year of 83 students and the Dominican Sisters were unable to return for a second year, the School Board recommended that the school close.

During the ensuing years, the Catholic community in Murfreesboro, TN continued to grow. The 1990s were a time of unprecedented growth. One factor was the opening of Nissan Motor Manufacturing Plant which brought an influx of families from heavily Catholic industrial states in the north. In addition, the spirit of love, faith and charity found at Saint Rose Church began to draw dozens of adults each year to the RCIA program, causing the parish to grow to over 1,000 families. As the parish community grew, more and more parents began to ask for a Catholic school.

In 1997, Bishop Kmiec inaugurated an in depth study concerning the areas in need of a Catholic school. It was decided that Saint Rose School would be re-opened. In 1998, the Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia Congregation in Nashville agreed to return to the school.

In 1999, Saint Rose School reopened with 88 students in Grades K-4, staffed with two Dominican Sisters and five lay teachers. The school continued to grow and in August 2003, the eighth grade was added. A new Junior High wing was opened in 2008 to accommodate the students and by 2009, there were two sections of every grade.