St. Joseph's Academy was founded in Laredo in 1934 by exiled Marist Brothers who were fleeing Mexico to avoid religious persecution by the Mexican government. In 1942, St. Joseph's Academy had its first graduating class. The school had its last graduating class in 1973. The school colors were maroon and white. The school mascot was the ram but because the word "rams" could be used in a derogatory way in Spanish, the mascot was changed to "antlers".
