Creighton School was founded in Omaha, Nebraska in 1878, later separating into Creighton Prepatory and Creighton University. The school was named after Edward Creighton, an Omaha businessman whose wife, Mary Lucretia, left their fortune to the Roman Catholic Bishop to build a school for boys. At that time, the school was given to the Society of Jesus, known more commonly as the Jesuits. The initial enrollment was 120 students.