History

Cathedral School is a parochial school that has served the Portland area for over 125 years. Archbishop William Gross established Cathedral School, originally known as St. Mary’s Parochial School, in 1896. In 1900 the school was named St. Mary’s Academy Annex. It was operated by the Sisters of the Holy Names at N.W. 16th and Everett.

At the time, there were 15 students enrolled in grades K-4. Beginning with the 1910-11 school year, it became known as Cathedral School. Four years later, Cathedral Parish pastor, Father Edwin O’Hara approved the building of what is now the Cathedral complex along N.W. 17th Street. This building was the site of Cathedral School for 48 years.

The school’s location did not change until 1961 when the Dunne family donated their home property to Cathedral Parish for construction of the present Cathedral School. From as far back as 1910, enrollment was 179 students and reached an all-time high of 295 students in 1964. Enrollment then declined due to the changing nature of the neighborhood. This led to changes in acceptance policy during the 1970s that encouraged broader geographic and ethnic representation of students.

Since its founding, Cathedral School has evolved from a neighborhood school to a school that draws students from the Portland tri-county area as well as Clark County in Washington. While many changes have taken place, the school’s values of diversity, respect, reverence for others and belief in God have remained constant through its “Century of Excellence in Education.”