Our Story

In 1954, the Sisters of Notre Dame founded Julie Billiart School on the Notre Dame Academy campus on Ansel Road in Cleveland, proudly welcoming 15 students in our inaugural year. Within just three years, the demand for our unique learning environment outgrew the original space. To support our expanding community, Calvin and Charles Arter generously donated their late parents' six-acre estate at 4982 Clubside Drive in Lyndhurst to the Sisters of Notre Dame in 1957.

The estate's historic 22-room mansion, built in 1927, allowed JB to significantly increase enrollment, as well as provide housing for the Sisters. As our student body continued to thrive, the Lyndhurst campus expanded with a new gymnasium in 1971 and additional classrooms in 1974. To continue meeting the evolving needs, the campus underwent a major 16,000-square-foot expansion in 2006, adding new classrooms, resource rooms, and a dedicated art therapy room.

Driven by a mission to expand its transformative special education beyond a single campus, Julie Billiart Schools opened its second campus in 2017 in Akron. Initially as a ministry of St. Sebastian Parish, JB Akron took home in the former Christ United Methodist Church. While now separate from St. Sebastian, they still provide support for monthly Mass and the sacraments and continue to be partners in learning and faith.

In its first year, JBA served 14 students in grades K-2 and quickly grew into the fully realized K-8 model with a capacity of 132 students. The summer of 2020 brought many improvements to JBA including interior renovations, a new gymnasium, upgraded playground, a library and art therapy spaces.A beautiful chapel space was also created for reflection, prayer and small-group activities.

Julie Billiart Schools established its third campus on Crocker Road in Westlake in 2021. After acquiring the property, work began immediately to convert the facility into a highly customized educational environment tailored to students with learning differences.

JB Westlake officially opened to grades K-4 in August 2021, and expanded to a full K-8 program in the fall of 2022. Like all our campuses, every aspect of the facility is intentionally designed to provide a predictable, safe, and supportive environment that meets the academic, social, and emotional needs of our students.

In the summer of 2026, we launched Expanding Opportunities, an 8,000 sq. foot expansion project to add classrooms, restrooms and specialized learning spaces.

Julie Billiart Schools expanded to four campuses in 2024 with the opening of our Brecksville location, initially welcoming students in grades K–4. Transforming the former Chippewa Elementary School building, JB completely renovated the 42,000-square-foot facility to design a sensory-friendly, innovative learning environment tailored to our students' unique needs.

By the fall of 2025, the Brecksville campus reached full capacity, expanding to serve grades K–8. This milestone also marked the introduction of Begindergarten, JB’s specialized Kindergarten-readiness program designed to give our youngest learners a strong, supportive start.

• Born as Marie-Rose Julie Billiart July 12, 1751 in Cuvilly, France and showed a deep spiritual focus from a young age.
• Poor medical treatment following the trauma after witnessing a robbery of her father's shop resulted in paralysis of her legs in 1782.
• Despite her paralysis, she used her bedside as a spiritual hub to continue to teach faith during the French Revolution.
• In 1804, with Francoise Blin de Bourdon, she co-founded the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, an order dedicated specifically to the education of poor girls.
• Later in 1804, during a religious retreat, Julie Billiart stood up for the first time in over 20 years and was cured of her immobility.
• Julie Billiart went on to expand her teachings throughout Europe establishing schools for children as she saw education as a basic human right.
• St. Julie Billiart was canonized by Pope John Paul VI in 1969, 153 after her death in 1816.

• Founded in 1850 in Coesfield, Germany by two teachers, Hilligonde Wolbring and Elisabeth Kuhling, who cared for marginalized children whose families were unable to provide. Their Spiritual Mother was Julie Billiart.
• Eight sisters arrived in Cleveland, Ohio in 1874 including founder Sister Maria Aloysia (Hilligonde Wolbring).
• Over 200 sisters came to the United States from 1878-1882.
• The SND established four provinces - Cleveland, Toledo, Ohio, Covington, Kentucky, and Huntington Park, California.
• In 2020, the four provinces united as a single entity, serving 17 countries in five continents.