Glance Through the Years

The parish was originally named St. Mary’s. At the time of the move from the first church, located at 4th and College Street, the parish changed its name to The Church of the Immaculate Conception. At the same time the name of the school was changed to St. Mary’s School in honor of the first name of the parish. In the fall of 1887, Dominican Sisters from the Congregation of St. Cecilia in Nashville, TN took over operating the school. In 1916, then pastor Fr. Alphonse Nolan, a renowned sculptor and builder, began the construction of a new building which remained in use from 1917 to 1968. In 1968, with a downturn in enrollment and the economy, coupled with the need for a more modern building, the decision was made to close St. Mary’s School. 

St. Mary’s Preschool 

Established in 1976, to provide preschoolers with an active and structured learning curriculum well-known for its high standards in preparing children for kindergarten and beyond.

The preschool is located on the Immaculate Conception Church campus near downtown Clarksville and serves as a direct feed to Immaculate Conception Catholic School for those families who choose to continue their child’s education in Catholic schools.

A New Beginning  

By 1999, there was growing interest among parish members of Immaculate Conception to revive a Catholic elementary school for the education and faith formation of their children. The Jubilee Year of 2000 marked the return of St. Mary's Catholic School at the current site on Madison Street. The new St. Mary's School opened its doors on August 15, 2000, serving grades Kindergarten through Fourth, implementing an additional grade each year until Eighth grade was established. 

Name Change  

In 2011, the name of the school and preschool was changed to Immaculate Conception School and Immaculate Conception Preschool. To solidify the school's identity with the parish, the parish's name was extended to include the Elementary and Middle School, as well as the Preschool. 

School Merger and Expansion 

During the 22-23 school year, our parish leadership, Pastor, Clergy and The Diocese of Nashville Catholic Schools Office began reviewing, researching and discussions regarding merging the preschool and K-8 school onto one campus. Numerous options were considered to include merging the schools at the Madison Street Campus, merging schools at the Franklin Street campus, or closing the Preschool. 

In August 2024, Immaculate Conception School offered its first Pre-K4 class at the Madison Street campus and began plans for adding a Pre-K3 class for the 25-26 school year. In the following months, based on facility options, cost analysis, along with leadership and clergy recommendations, Father Jacob approves a merger of the preschool and relocation to the Madison Street campus.  

Major renovations to the Madison Street campus began in the Summer of 2025 and will be ongoing through the Summer of 2026. 

School Merger Deciding Factors 

• The Madison Street campus offers an on-site School Resource Officer (SRO) to provide a safer environment for our preschool program.
• The Madison Street campus utilizes the “Raptor Technologies” Visitor Management System to screen and register all visitors prior to entering the school.
• Pre-K policies and procedures will align with those of the Dioceses of Nashville Catholic Schools Office.  
• All Pre-K students will have chapel time.
• Pre-K4 students will attend weekly Mass, adoration, Rosary and participate in special liturgies. 
• Pre-K3 students will attend weekly Mass after Christmas break.
• Family engagement from 2 years old – 8th grade
• Catholic Worldview (curriculum approved by the Diocese of Nashville) lesson plans required in every classroom. 
• Pre-K students will have opportunities to participate in age-appropriate clubs such as Faith Rangers (PreK-4 +), Sensory Motor Club,and STREAM Club (PreK-4+).
• Specials for Pre-K will include STREAM, Spanish, Music, Art, and Motor Skills.
• Learning Specialist available daily for meeting Student Support Plans and providing early learning needs and interventions.
• Guidance Counselor on staff.
• Visible Catholic Identity throughout the school.
• All teaching staff making “Every Classroom Catholic” a requirement of Catholic Worldview lesson plans.
• All teaching faculty participate in the St. Augustine Catechist Certification program.
• Creating a unified Catholic learning community from Early Childhood through 8th grade.