Part of Quebec City Since 1843
In 1843 the Christian Brothers opened a school on MacMahon Street opposite the old Saint Patrick’s Church. It was for boys only. Little Irish girls went to schools such as the Ursulines, the Good Shepherd Nuns and the Grey Nuns. As the years went by, the boys wanted to have more than a grade six education so they persuaded the Brothers to open high school classes. St. Patrick’s associated itself with McGill University for the senior matriculation examination. In 1916 the corner stone was laid for Saint Patrick’s School, and housed the boys from grade one to senior matric.
Meantime, the people of the parish began to look into the possibility of assembling all the girls in one school with a community of English-speaking Sisters to teach them. Negotiations were begun, and the Sisters of Charity of Halifax came to Quebec in 1935 to open a school for girls. The school was called the Leonard School situated at 850 de Salaberry. Girls from grade six to grade nine were invited to enrol.
In 1957 the name of the school was changed to Saint Patrick’s Elementary School, for there was a new building to house the high school girls and boys. It had been built on the eastern corner of the yard opposite the boys’ school on Maisonneuve. The high school boys were upstairs taught by the Christian Brothers, and the girls were downstairs taught by the Sisters of Charity.
In 1966 the boys and the girls from the elementary schools were housed in one building, the old Leonard School renamed Saint Patrick’s Elementary; a wing was built joining the two buildings on Maisonneuve, and the boys’ and girls’ programs were gradually merged until the whole school system, elementary and high was co-educational. Thus emerged Saint Patrick’s High School.
In 1997, The Quebec Government changed from religious based to linguistic school boards. St. Patrick's became a school of the Central Quebec School Board. Thus, the modern day St. Patrick's High School became non-denominational but retained much of its Irish spirit.
