St Michael's Academy was a Roman Catholic secondary school in Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, Scotland. The secondary school served the Roman Catholic community of the towns of Irvine and Kilwinning and the villages of Beith, Kilbirnie and Dalry, which make up the Garnock Valley. Opened in Irvine in 1921, and located in Kilwinning from 1965, the school held over 800 pupils and 200 members of staff.When St Michael's closed in 2007, a staff committee compiled a history of the 86 years, a paperback which sold out of 1000 copies in six months. Most (95%) of its contents were then adapted for the web by a now-retired staff member - the link is shown below.A new school, St Matthews Academy was built in Saltcoats to accommodate pupils and staff from both the old St Michaels in Kilwinning and St Andrews Academy. The new school opened in October 2007.HistoryBefore 1921 Catholic children in Irvine, North Ayrshire attended primary classes in the existing St Marys church situated on West Road for their fundamental education, they then had to travel outside the Region to carry on any further education. In 1920 the Sisters of the Cross and Passion purchased Williamfield Estate on Kilwinning Road in the town to act as a convent and school which they staffed. They had their first intake of (7) pupils, November 1921. The new secondary, St. Michael's College, Irvine, opened in August 1923 followed by St. Mary's Primary in August 1928.