The National Catholic Education Association was formed at a meeting held in St. Louis, Missouri, July 12-14, 1904. At that meeting, the Education Conference of Catholic Seminary Faculties, the Association of Catholic Colleges and the Parish School Conference agreed to merge and form the Catholic Educational Association (CEA).

From then until 1919, the CEA was the only unifying agent for Catholic education at the national level. In 1919, the establishment of the National Catholic War Council (NCWC), later changed to National Catholic Welfare Council

National Catholic Welfare Council

The National Catholic Welfare Council was the annual meeting of the American Catholic hierarchy and its standing secretariat; it was established in 1919 as the successor to the emergency organization, the National Catholic War Council....

, to serve as an agency of the American bishops to coordinate all Catholic activity, including education, marked a new era for CEA. A working relationship of cooperation between the Association and the Department of Education of NCWC was established that endures with the NCWC successor, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops and United States Catholic Conference, it is composed of all active and retired members of the Catholic...

(USCCB).