Stella Maris Academy was officially founded on December 8, 1967 by Msgr. Esteban Mosuela, at that time the Parish Priest of Saint Joseph the Worker Parish in barangay Quirino, Bacnotan, La Union. It was the first and only diocesan high school in the Municipality of Bacnotan.
The school began its soft and unofficial operation in June of 1967. It started with a single classroom accommodating first year students. Additional classrooms were subsequently added in the years that followed in accordance with the increasing number of enrolment. The Academy received its Government Recognition no. 187 in1975 from the Department of Education, Culture and Sports. The Complete Secondary Course Permit was awarded on July 14, 1975.
