St. Michael Academy was an all-girls, private, Roman Catholic high school in Manhattan in New York City. It is located within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York.MissionFounded by the Presentation Sisters of Ireland, the mission had long been dedicated to educating young women in a loving and caring community, assisting each to develop her gifts and talents to live a fully Christian life.HistorySt. Michael Academy was founded in 1874 by the Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary, better known simply as the Presentation Sisters. They were initially invited to open an elementary school at Ninth Avenue, behind St. Paul the Apostle Church. It was initially a coeducational high school but became girls-only after World War II.During the post-war era, the school mostly catered to professional-class Italian and Irish Catholic families. With the changing demographics of the area in the 21st century, most of the student population came from working-class families or were students rejected by other diocesan schools due to behavioral problems or poor academic performance. Despite this, 98 percent of graduates were accepted into college.Beginning in 1980, the school's building was used by Elizabeth Seton College in Yonkers as a satellite campus, hosting the college's weekend classes. This relationship continued after the 1989 merger of Seton with Iona College.
