Records show that a school with vertical slab walls and a bark roof was built for Dr. Henry Backhaus at Kangaroo Flat in 1860. Miss Wall taught students from 1859–1860, with the school likely located within the current grounds.
In 1864, St. Monica’s original Church, built using locally fired bricks, also served as a Church School. Bishop Gould blessed the building, which remained a Church until the current St. Monica’s was built in 1926.
The Sisters of Mercy took over in 1920, with Sr. M. Clare and Sr. M. Magdalen teaching 58 students. Fundraising in the 1920s and 1930s included dances, euchre nights, and community donations, with a school committee organizing events, providing breakfasts, and offering scholarships.
In 1959, three classrooms were added, followed by portable classrooms in 1966 and 1989. A major redevelopment in 2014 modernized the school, with Bishop Leslie Tomlinson blessing the new Jarra Centre, Mercy Wing, McAuley, and Backhaus buildings.
