One of the top educational institutions in Davao City is the private, Roman Catholic,

archdiocesan Holy Cross of Davao College (HCDC), which established by the Sisters of
the Religious of the Virgin Mary in 1951. Currently, a Board of Trustees oversees it and
the Roman Catholic Bishop of Davao is its supervisor.

Immaculate Conception College, previously known as HCDC, established in 1951 as a

school annex on property owned by the Roman Catholic Apostolic Administrator of
Davao in Sta. In Davao City, Ana Avenue. The PME Fathers (Foreign Mission Society
of Quebec), the Roman Catholic Apostolic Administrator of Davao, acquired the school
from its founders in April 1956 and renamed it Holy Cross Academy of Davao. At the
time, it was a private school for males.

In the academic year 1964–1965, the institution opened its elementary division to
female students. In the academic year 1966–1967, it began to offer college courses and
changed its name to Holy Cross of Davao College.

On July 10, 1976, the PME Fathers gave the Roman Catholic Bishop of Davao control
of the school because there were not enough Filipino employees to run it at the time.

In honor of Professor Hermann Gmeiner, the creator of SOS Kinderdorf International,

HCDC opened its Grade School Bajada Campus on January 18, 1985, along with a
number of cutting-edge amenities like a speech laboratory, an audio-visual center, and
a sports center.

The High School Department at HCDC was always a boys-only institution. However, the
school began accepting female high school students in the academic year 1985–1986
because of parents' persistent requests.

On February 8, 1994, HCDC received approval from the government to run master's
degrees in economics and education and established its Graduate School Department.
Additionally, on April 25, 1995, the Liberal Arts and Education programs given level II
status for a period of three years by the Philippine Accrediting Association of Colleges,
Schools, and Universities, or PAASCU.
A five-story building bearing Professor Hermann Gmeiner's name was constructed at
HCDC's Main Campus in 1989 in response to the requests for new academic programs
and the constantly rising number of students enrolled each school year. In the years
that followed, on February 6, 1996, a brand-new four-story Archbishop Mabutas Hall
and a four-story Archbishop Thibault Hall were rebuilt. On October 8, 1996, a new
chapel that was constructed in tribute to the PME Fathers was blessed. In the Island
Garden City of Samal, at Camudmud, Babak, the school also purchased a five-hectare
shoreline property, where it built facilities especially for its Marine Transportation
programs.

The Main Campus in Sta. There are presently three sites for the school. The JP is
located on Ana Avenue and offers undergraduate, graduate, technical, and vocational
courses. Both the Camudmud, Babak Island, and Samal campuses, which offer
undergraduate programs, and the Laurel Avenue Campus, which offers elementary and
high school education.

The College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Education, the College of Engineering
and Technology, the College of Maritime Education, the College of Criminology, and the
College of Business and Accountancy are the six divisions that make up HCDC.
Additionally, it operates elementary and secondary schools.