 Saint Clare School was founded in 1856 by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and is located adjacent to Santa Clara University (formerly Santa Clara College).It is part of the Drexel Schools system, an initiative launched by the Diocese of San Jose to promote high quality Catholic education.In 1856 the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur who came to create one of the earliest school systems in California founded St. Mary's School to educate elementary age students in the parish.