Rev. William A. Motley, the founding pastor of St. William Parish in 1920, saw the need for a school. March 17th, 1921 ground was broken at Rising Sun and Deveraux for the construction of St. William School. July 13, 1921 marked the actual beginning of the school construction. A new school was being built!

On September 8, 1924 St. William Parish School opened. 102 students were registered and two IHM Sisters were selected to organize the school. The sisters commuted daily by trolley from St. Joachim’s Parish in Frankford.

Expansion and construction was necessary to meet the ever-growing demand of student enrollment. By 1928, additional floors were required and students were relocated to the Church, sacristies, and basement areas of the convent until additional space was completed. The problem of space was resolved, albeit temporarily.

By October, 1930 the school was comprised of 12 classrooms and was dedicated by Dennis Cardinal Dougherty. Over the next two decades expansion continued and blueprints for St. William Junior High School were on the drawing table. By the early 1950’s, classrooms in the Middle School were fully occupied.

September 1, 1986 St. William School opened with a new grade in place…Kindergarten. The building was designed by a parishioner and constructed by volunteers who labored tirelessly.

Enrollment continued to surge to 1700 students in 1988. As a result, the parish hall was temporarily converted into several classrooms.

When school opened on September 8, 1993 another dream was realized. The former Lawndale Hospital Annex was purchased by the parish and had an additional 14 classrooms. St. William School was comprised of three buildings: the Primary, Intermediate, and Middle School.

A few years later enrollment began to drop. A change in demographics and family needs led to two full day Kindergarten classes and the beginning of Pre-Kindergarten in 2003.

In June, 2003 four classes of students in the Primary School were relocated to the Intermediate or Main School. St. William School now needed two school buildings. The Primary School was leased to the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and rededicated as IHM Ministry Center; it serves the needs of educators today.

St. William School continues today with an enrollment of 403 students. St. William School is home to a culturally diverse student population! The vision and foresight of the past continue in the present. Past and present merge as both care about Catholic education in the future!