The Infant Jesus Academy (IJA) School System was established in response to a need for a co-educational school that offers excellent education to students of families of average means.
In the late 1970’s, Mrs. Consolacion Florentino-Mallonga, together with her husband, Dr. Alberto T. Mallonga, established a school in the Rancho Estate Subdivision, part of the growing suburbs of Marikina. Mrs. Mallonga was a respected educator in the community with more than 30 years of experience in teaching and administration while Dr. Mallonga was a physician who decided to retire from medical practice to concentrate on helping his wife with her new endeavor. The school that they established was envisioned as an alternative for families who could not afford to send their children to exclusive schools but who desire a comparable, quality education for them. The plan to put up this school was conceived in December, the Christmas Season of 1978, thus its name, Infant Jesus Academy, to honor the Holy Infant in the Manger.