Colegio de Sta. Rosa-Makati

Colegio de Sta. Rosa-Makati, commonly abbreviated as CSR-Makati, is a private Catholic educational institution in Rockwell, Makati, Metro Manila. The school forms part of the longer Colegio de Santa Rosa tradition, whose historical parent institution, Colegio de Santa Rosa-Intramuros, traces its origins to 1750. The Intramuros school was established by M. Paula de la Santísima Trinidad, a Spanish Dominican tertiary, and was initially associated with the name Beaterio. Over its long history, the institution experienced changes in administration and survived major political and military upheavals in the Philippines. The Makati school was created in response to the expansion of the municipality and the need for a Catholic institution serving its growing community. In 1964, Colegio de Santa Rosa acquired a site offered by the Makati Development Corporation and secured government authorization to open a branch of the Intramuros school. Rev. Fr. Moises Lopez, OAR, who was then president of the board of trustees, provided leadership during the establishment of the branch. Mo. Alfonsa Vilches, SSJ, served as the first superior and school head, working with three other religious sisters and one lay teacher. Classes began in July 1964 in temporary rooms while the permanent school building was being constructed. The opening enrollment consisted of 23 kindergarten pupils and seven Grade 1 pupils. The school expanded rapidly: it reached Grade 6 in the following year, opened Grade 7 in 1966, and produced its first group of high-school graduates four years later. Its growth established the Makati branch as a full basic-education institution rather than only an elementary outpost. Administration changed at the end of the 1980-1981 school year. The Sisters of the Congregation of the Servants of St. Joseph, who had managed the school, withdrew in order to return to the original charism of their congregation. Responsibility for Colegio de Sta. Rosa-Makati was subsequently transferred to the Augustinian Recollect Sisters, who continue to administer the institution. This transition connected the Makati campus more directly with the religious order that had held an important governance role in the broader Colegio de Santa Rosa tradition since the nineteenth century. The school presents itself as a Catholic institution combining formal education with Christian formation. Its principal educational scope has historically comprised grade-school and high-school departments. The institution is locally oriented, serving families in Makati and the wider Metro Manila area rather than operating as a multinational commercial brand. The available reference material identifies it as an active private school, but does not provide a current official website, enrollment figure, financial information, or a detailed list of academic programs. Reference material also states that the grade-school and high-school departments received Level 2 accreditation from the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities for school year 2025-2026, and that the school became coeducational by admitting both boys and girls.

Colegio de Sta. Rosa-Makati is the Makati branch of the historic Colegio de Santa Rosa educational institution. Its institutional lineage reaches back to Colegio de Santa Rosa-Intramuros, founded in Manila on August 30, 1750, by M. Paula de la Santísima Trinidad, a Dominican tertiary from Spain. In its early period, the school was also known as the Beaterio. It was established to provide Catholic formation and education for young Filipino girls and passed through several administrative arrangements during the Spanish and later Philippine periods. In 1801, the Spanish governor assigned the chairmanship of the school's board of control to the Vicar Provincial of the Order of Recollect Fathers in the Philippines and his successors. This relationship helped establish a durable connection between Colegio de Santa Rosa and the Recollect religious tradition. The school was administered for many years by the Daughters of Charity, who continued its educational and religious mission until the disruption caused by the Second World War. During the Battle of Manila, the Intramuros school buildings were completely destroyed. Reconstruction was completed in 1948, allowing the institution to reopen. The rebuilt school was managed by the Sisters of the Congregation of the Servants of St. Joseph. As Makati developed into an increasingly important urban and residential center, the need for a Catholic school in the municipality became more apparent. In 1964, Colegio de Santa Rosa responded by establishing a Makati branch. The school acquired land offered by the Makati Development Corporation and obtained the necessary government permit to operate as a branch of Colegio de Santa Rosa-Intramuros. Rev. Fr. Moises Lopez, OAR, then president of the board of trustees, was associated with the effort to establish the new campus. Mo. Alfonsa Vilches, SSJ, became the first mother superior and school head. She was joined by three other sisters and one lay teacher. The Makati branch formally opened in July 1964. Because the permanent building was still under construction, the first classes were conducted in makeshift rooms. Enrollment initially consisted of 23 kindergarten students and seven Grade 1 students. Expansion followed quickly. The school added grades through Grade 6 in the following year, opened Grade 7 in 1966, and graduated its first high-school class four years later. These developments transformed the branch from a small primary-school project into a broader elementary and secondary institution. At the end of school year 1980-1981, the Servants of Saint Joseph withdrew from the administration of Colegio de Sta. Rosa. The congregation sought to refocus on its original charism, and management of the school passed to the Congregation of the Augustinian Recollect Sisters. The change was consistent with the institution's historic relationship to the Recollect Fathers and placed the Makati branch under its present religious administration. The school has continued to operate as a private Catholic institution in Makati. Its educational identity combines academic instruction with Christian formation, and its principal divisions have been the Grade School and High School Departments. The available reference material reports Level 2 accreditation for both departments for school year 2025-2026. It also states that CSR-Makati later became coeducational, admitting boys and girls rather than limiting enrollment to girls. Detailed information about current leadership, tuition, enrollment, facilities, and the school's official web presence is not established by the supplied sources.

• 2025

  Level 2 accreditation reported

  [1]Colegio de Santa Rosa - Makatien.wikipedia.org

  Reference material reports Level 2 accreditation for the Grade School and High School Departments for school year 2025-2026.

• 1981

  Administration transfers to the Augustinian Recollect Sisters

  [1]Colegio de Santa Rosa - Makatien.wikipedia.org

  Following the withdrawal of the Servants of Saint Joseph at the end of school year 1980-1981, management of the school was entrusted to the Congregation of the Augustinian Recollect Sisters.

• 1970

  First high-school graduates

  [1]Colegio de Santa Rosa - Makatien.wikipedia.org

  Four years after the opening of Grade 7, the Makati branch produced 17 high-school graduates.

• 1966

  Grade 7 is added

  [1]Colegio de Santa Rosa - Makatien.wikipedia.org

  The school opened Grade 7, continuing its transition from a small primary branch toward a full basic-education institution.

• 1965

  Elementary expansion reaches Grade 6

  [1]Colegio de Santa Rosa - Makatien.wikipedia.org

  The newly established Makati branch expanded its elementary offering through Grade 6.

• 1964

  Makati branch opens

  [1]Colegio de Santa Rosa - Makatien.wikipedia.org

  Colegio de Sta. Rosa-Makati officially opened in July with 23 kindergarten pupils and seven Grade 1 pupils, initially using temporary classrooms.

• 1948

  Intramuros school reopens after wartime destruction

  [1]Colegio de Santa Rosa - Makatien.wikipedia.org

  The parent institution's buildings, destroyed during the Battle of Manila, were reconstructed and the school reopened under the management of the Servants of Saint Joseph.

• 1801

  Recollect governance connection established

  [1]Colegio de Santa Rosa - Makatien.wikipedia.org

  The Spanish governor assigned the chairmanship of the parent school's board of control to the Vicar Provincial of the Order of Recollect Fathers in the Philippines and his successors.

• 1750

  Founding of the parent institution

  [1]Colegio de Santa Rosa - Makatien.wikipedia.org

  Colegio de Santa Rosa-Intramuros, the historical institution from which the Makati branch descends, was founded in Manila on August 30, 1750, by M. Paula de la Santísima Trinidad.

A locally rooted Catholic school offering basic education and Christian formation in Makati, with its identity anchored in the historic Colegio de Santa Rosa tradition and the educational mission of the Augustinian Recollect Sisters.

• Elementary education · 1964

  Grade School Department

  The Grade School Department provides elementary-level education within the school's Catholic institutional framework. The Makati branch began with kindergarten and Grade 1 in 1964 and expanded to Grade 6 the following year. Its educational model combines classroom instruction with the school's broader emphasis on Catholic values and Christian formation.

• Secondary education · 1966

  High School Department

  The High School Department developed after the Makati branch added Grade 7 in 1966 and produced its first high-school graduates in 1970. It represents the school's secondary-level offering and operates as part of a private Catholic basic-education institution serving the Makati area.

• Religious and values education

  Christian formation

  Christian formation is a central component of the school's institutional identity. The program reflects Colegio de Santa Rosa's historical purpose of educating young people within a Catholic tradition and the continuing religious mission of the Augustinian Recollect Sisters.

• 1981

  Change in school administrationStrategy

  Background

  The Servants of Saint Joseph decided to withdraw from administration at the end of school year 1980-1981 to return to the original charism of their congregation.

  Action taken

  Management of Colegio de Sta. Rosa-Makati was transferred to the Congregation of the Augustinian Recollect Sisters.

  Aftermath

  The Augustinian Recollect Sisters became the school's continuing religious administrators and linked its present governance with the Recollect tradition associated with the parent institution.

  Source

• 1964

  Establishment of the Makati branchStrategy

  Background

  Makati was expanding and the Colegio de Santa Rosa institution sought to extend its Catholic educational mission beyond the Intramuros campus.

  Action taken

  The institution acquired a site offered by the Makati Development Corporation, secured a government permit, and opened a branch in July 1964.

  Aftermath

  The branch expanded from kindergarten and Grade 1 into elementary and secondary education and became an established private school in Makati.

  Source

• Transition to coeducationStrategy

  Background

  The school historically developed as a Catholic institution for girls, but later adjusted its admissions model.

  Action taken

  Colegio de Sta. Rosa-Makati began admitting both boys and girls.

  Aftermath

  The change broadened the school's potential student population and made the Makati campus coeducational.

  Source

• 2025

  CSR-Makati referenced as receiving Level 2 accreditation for school year 2025-2026[1]Colegio de Santa Rosa - Makatien.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Reference material states that the school's grade-school and high-school departments were awarded Level 2 accreditation by the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities for school year 2025-2026.

• Colegio de Sta. Rosa-Makati becomes coeducational[1]Colegio de Santa Rosa - Makatien.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Reference material reports that the Makati school began admitting boys as well as girls, changing its historical orientation as a girls' educational institution.

1. 1Colegio de Santa Rosa - Makatien.wikipedia.org