The Ateneo de Zamboanga University (AdZU) is a Catholic and Jesuit university in Western Mindanao. It is also known by the acronym AdZU. AdZU began in 1912 as Escuela Catolica, a parochial school run by Spanish Jesuits.It is the second oldest Jesuit school in the Philippines and the second Jesuit school to be named Ateneo. It initially offered primary and secondary education for boys. It became a college in 1952 and a university in August 2001. It currently operates on two campuses, La Purisima Street with the tertiary and senior high school divisions and Barangay Tumaga, outside Zamboanga City proper, with the junior high school and grade school divisions.