History
The seed was sown for Notre Dame High School with the opening of Elmira Catholic High School in 1930. Twenty students entered that first year, attending classes in two rooms at the St. Peter and Paul’s Grammar School. Two years later, the growing school moved to more spacious quarters on the third floor of St. Patrick’s School. The new school offered an up-to-date laboratory, an auditorium and five bright, airy classrooms. Teaching responsibilities were shared by Sisters of Mercy and Sisters of St. Joseph. Notre Dame de Lourdes High School opened its doors to a greatly expanded student population in September 1955. In addition to former Elmira Catholic High students, young people enrolled from all Elmira city parishes as well as from Corning, Horseheads, Waverly, Athens, and Sayre. $1.6 million was invested in building this modern facility on a tract of land just south of the city. More than $500,000 was raised through the Bishop’s High School Campaign conducted throughout the diocese. The Sisters of Mercy invested $300,000 of their own funds and assumed financial and operational responsibility for the school.

The Catholic Courier-Journal declared the school a monument to the sacrificing spirit of Elmira Catholics and the daring enterprise of the Sisters of Mercy, and reported the school had launched with an enrollment of over 340 students, surpassing all expectations. A state-of-the-art auditorium offered opportunity for full-scale theatrical productions. Students made full use of modern science and business laboratories, a fully stocked library, music studies and ensemble practice rooms, and a full scale athletic program as they prepared themselves for their future.

Today’s Notre Dame carries on those same traditions. With a student population of 270, the school continues to draw from a large geographic area in the Southern Tier of New York and the Northern Tier of Pennsylvania. The school is widely recognized for its high level of academic achievement, active community service, and winning competitive sports programs. This ministry of the Sisters of Mercy still plays a vital role in the education of our region’s young people.

Elmira Notre Dame School Pics

Elmira Notre Dame School Pics

Elmira Notre Dame School Pics

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