History
1946-1986
Our Lady of Sorrows Church established the school in September of 1946. Holy Cross sisters, with the help of a few dedicated lay teachers, staffed the school until 1982. In 1983 the Sisters withdrew from the school and were replaced with a competent lay principal and all lay staff.
As McAllen grew so did the demand for admission to Our Lady of Sorrows School. A new educational facility was built in 1985, and in 1986 enrollment increased to 500 students. The new facility included sixteen classrooms, a fully equipped library, a kitchen and cafeteria, a gymnasium, a computer lab, an art lab, a science lab and office space. A new playground was built on the South side of the school.
OLSS Today
Today OLSS provides a Montessori Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Program, a comprehensive elementary program for 1st through 5th grade, a quality junior high school 6th to 8th grade program with a well rounded athletic program, an after school program and an academic support program that includes tutorials, homework help and both one-on-one and group academic support.
Accreditation
Our Lady of Sorrows School is accredited by the Texas Catholic Conference (TCC) Education Department and follows all their policies regarding accreditation. The TCC Education Department is assisted by the TCC Accreditation Commission and is a part of the state-approved Texas Private School Accreditation Commission. We are reviewed by the AdvancedEd Accreditation Commission as well.
The School received an "excellent" accreditation rating in 2015 during its last formal accreditation visit. The School is also a member of the National Catholic Education Association. Our Diocesan Curriculum guides are aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), National Benchmarks and Iowa Assesment Test Objectives.
Nondiscriminatory Policy
Our Lady of Sorrows School will not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, or national or ethnic origin in the administration of admission, athletic or tuition assistance programs. OLSS is in compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972.