The American School of Guadalajara has its roots in the establishment of the railroad system in Mexico during the 1880s, which attracted a substantial influx of American railroad workers to Guadalajara. As the community of American expatriates grew, there arose a necessity for an English language school to provide education for their children.

In 1908, Miss Delia A. Walsh founded a school specifically tailored for the offspring of these American workers in Guadalajara. By 1915, the school had acquired a rental property at General Coronado 24 to facilitate its operations. However, in approximately 1934, the school temporarily ceased its activities following Miss Walsh's retirement.