History of Royal Palm Academy
Founded in 1998, Royal Palm Academy was created on the educational philosophy of Integral Formation. Integral Formation emphasizes the development of all parts of a child so that they become poised and virtuous leaders in their communities, careers, families, and the world around them.
Our story begins with Carol and Patrick Moore. Patrick was inspired to bring an Integral Formation education to the Naples community after witnessing a young child in Atlanta, GA, kneeling deep in prayer before school in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. This led Patrick to visit schools implementing Integral Formation in Atlanta and Dallas, TX, to successfully bring the program to Southwest Florida.
For a few years after Patrick’s journey, there were planning meetings and strategies drafted in the hope of establishing a new academic institution. While attending a Catholic Women’s Convention in Orlando, FL, this idea was moved forward when Carol Moore met with other women to outline the possibilities of this project, and a name for the school was selected - Royal Palm Academy. Within the next several days after the conference, Royal Palm Academy was incorporated, and all the necessary paperwork and contracts were finalized. From there, Patrick and Carol Moore collaborated with Lou DePrisco to raise awareness of the new school and recruit students. We are forever thankful that our founders had a powerful vision that brought Royal Palm Academy to our community.
In August 1998, Carol Moore secured a site for Royal Palm’s first campus just in time for the inaugural school year. It may not have looked like much, with three trailers on a five-acre dusty field, but the school was able to successfully open its door to six students in three grades. At the time, our faculty consisted of three teachers, one receptionist, and the Head of School.
Royal Palm Academy expanded quickly over the next few years and outgrew its location. With a focus on our vision of a 500-student campus, Lou DePrisco and Patrick Kirk secured Royal Palm Academy’s current location and an additional 100 acres reserved for future growth.
In 2015, Royal Palm Academy was officially recognized as an affiliated Catholic School in the Diocese of Venice. A year later, we opened our first permanent building with a 15,000-square-foot multi-purpose gymnasium, with Bishop Frank J. Dewane officially blessing the building and saying Mass for the entire school body. Named for our founders, Carol and Patrick Moore, this achievement was made possible through the teamwork and generosity of many people.
Over the coming years, Royal Palm Academy hopes to establish more spaces dedicated to classrooms, athletics, the arts, and administration. While we are focused on our vision to grow our campus, our primary mission remains to provide an education of rich academics with Catholic formation that teaches the mind, educates the heart, and forms the character of tomorrow’s leaders.
