Founded in 1953 as Sacred Heart School (SHS), the school immediately began building a strong reputation as a provider of high-quality primary (grades 1-8) education in Danville, Virginia. Four Sisters of Mercy from Merion, Pennsylvania, opened the school doors on September 9th with 67 students in a Victorian house at 344 West Main Street. While Sacred Heart has grown, the school remains the city’s first and only Catholic school and its oldest non-public school.